 By Staff
April 9, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police are asking for some help in identifying a male associated to a stolen vehicle taken from a residential break and enter in Burlington.
 Regional police provided a photograph of a driver at a gas station – the driver left without paying for the gas in a car that had been stolen earlier. At 3:00 am on March 23rd the garage of a Burlington home was entered while the homeowners were asleep in their residence. Two vehicles were stolen.
The vehicles drove along the 407, a toll road where license plate numbers are captured, going eastbound from Burlington.
 A second photograph of a person driving a car that had been stolen from a Burlington residence. One of the stolen vehicles was recovered in Toronto on March 24th. The other stolen vehicle, a 2006 grey Infiniti G35 was involved in a gas drive off in Toronto in the early morning hours on March 30th.
If you are able to ID the male, have information with regards to the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle or have information that would assist investigators, please contact Det Bale of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau, 905-825-4747 ext 2312 or D/Cst Freeman ext 2363.
Alternatively through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
 There was some very detailed police work done on this case. Capturing data from the numerous cameras in the area and working with data from the Toronto police and getting the photographs from the gas station was all a part of putting the pieces together.
Detective Bale and D/Cst Freeman of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau
were part of that team.
 By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Parents and community members are invited to review and give feedback on the Halton District School Board’s 2015-2016 Long-Term Accommodation Plan
(LTAP).
This plan addresses the existing and projected accommodation needs of students in elementary and secondary schools and identifies new capital
project initiatives, such as the need for new schools.
The Long-Term Accommodation Plan along with Powerpoint presentations, which we have set out below, outlining key points for Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville.
  The information is available on the school boards web site at www.hdsb.ca. Follow the link from the homepage under ‘Program and Accommodation’ to access the plan and presentations.
The Board wants any input before Wednesday, April 27, 2016.
You can communicate using either of the following:
The online feedback form here <https://checkbox.hdsb.ca/ltap.aspx>
or visit https://checkbox.hdsb.ca/ltap.aspx
By mail: Planning Department, PO Box 5005 STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON L7R 3Z2
Staff will report back to Trustees at the May 4, 2016 Board meeting and recommend any changes to the LTAP.
There isn’t much in the way of opportunity to comment on the web site. You might find it more useful to be in touch with your trustee if you have concerns. Responders are given a number of boxes that can be ticked off. The questions asked are:
Check all that apply
Timing and Status of Capital Projects
Condition of Physical structure, facility issues (e.g. equity between new and old schools)
Future elementary and secondary boundary reviews and Program and Accommodation Review
School utilization rates and capacities
School program offerings and/or relation to school utilizations
Transportation issues and walkability of schools.
 By James Smith
April 8, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Ted McMeekin, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, has come up with five changes to the Municipal election act:
1 – Shortening the campaign calendar by opening nominations for candidates on May 1 instead of January 1
2 – Creating a framework to regulate third party advertising, including contribution and spending limits
3 – Removing barriers that could affect electors and candidates with disabilities
4 – Making it easier to add or change information on the voters’ list
5 – By far the most significant proposed change is giving municipalities the option of using ranked ballots in future elections, which would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The option to use ranked ballots would begin for the 2018 municipal elections.
To get into the issue let me first cover the motherhood issues.
2- Creating a framework to regulate third party advertising, including contribution and spending limits. Remains to be seen how this will work, but a step in the right direction. Any time we can remove the influence of vested interests from politics, the more reflective and better is our democracy.
3- Making campaigns Barrier Free by requiring city clerks to prepare accessibility plans to identify, remove and prevent barriers that could affect electors and candidates with disabilities, and make the plan available to the public prior to voting day. Welcome change. It will make Ontario’s municipal elections conform more closely to the Province’s AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).
4- Making it easier to add or change information on the voters’ list. I can’t argue with this as I have an issue using the voter data bases. These lists are full on extraneous and wrong information. Anything that can be done to get clean information is long overdue.
All steps in the right direction, as is the big issue of ranked ballots and I’ll have more to say about ranked ballots in a future piece. But the first issue of reducing municipal campaigns should be withdrawn as this is a step backwards.
What? you say, shortening the campaign calendar by four months sounds like a good idea! Who wants a politician around for nine or ten months prior to a municipal election? I get not everyone wants to see a politician for that long. But this hands a hugely significant advantage to incumbent municipal councillors and Mayors. With few ratepayer groups or service clubs organizing town halls or debates, there are few, if any events where voters can go and listen to a debate between candidates or ask them questions.
Most sitting municipal politicians have a significant advantage as an incumbent over any challenger in addition to name recognition for several reasons. Take the present Mayor of Burlington for example, he will have leftover signs, voter identification, volunteer and fundraising lists already sitting in storage waiting for the next election. If a newcomer is looking to challenge the Mayor, that person will have four months less time to build these resources. No small task.
Other elections can and do crowd municipal elections off the stage. Take the 2014 Municipal election for example. The 2014 Provincial Election took up a good portion of the spring. Many municipal candidates essentially put their campaigns on hold while the provincial campaign rolled along. The fixed election date hasn’t been altered so there is a very good likelihood the next provincial election will be held at the same time as the next municipal campaign.
In a move that’s frankly more in keeping with Putin’s Russia The city of Burlington forbids any campaigning on city property by mere candidates, what ever happened to speakers corner? If one is an incumbent city councillor or Mayor you may run a so called information meeting on a topic of your choice and citizens pay for this re-election gimmickry. All sitting councillors engage in city run promotions walking around an event like Senior’s Information seminars or Joe Brant Days or Car free Sunday with city issued name tags proclaiming their august position.
In these days of disappearing news outlets, shrinking coverage of municipal politics is a very real problem. For example in the 2014 municipal election, after sending several press releases to the Burlington Post I was finally informed that the Burlington Post had decided not to publish press releases for the 2014 municipal campaign. Speaking as a former candidate, and past manager of political campaigns it’s tough enough to get one’s message out to voters in the past, it’s almost impossible now. The issue in many cities, including Burlington is much of the remaining space that’s left for civic politics in the media that has become the GTHA media is often taken up by Toronto City Hall coverage at the expense of local issues. Unless there is a major scandal, local council races are not being covered.
By reducing the time one has to speak to citizens in the context of a Municipal campaign by limiting election campaigns by four months is frankly anti-democratic move and should be withdrawn.
 James Smith has run as a candidate in numerous elections – he has managed numerous elections. He has not yet served the public as an elected official. He was on the driving forces in the rescue of the Freeman Station and has delegated to city council on numerous occasions. He has close to the world’s worst collection of limericks.
By Pepper Parr
April 8, 2016
BURLINGTON,ON
It was to be the Chief’s fifteen minutes of fame – all he got was 13 minutes and a bit – and it was a bumpy ride.
The media Officer for the Regional Police Chantal Connor had sent out a media release that read as if we were going to get to see the chief talk to an audience that was out there in the on the world wide web.
 Halton Region’s Chief of Police – Stev Tanner. The media release wasn’t all that clear – which resulted in two confused reporters arriving at police headquarters expecting to see the chief in front of a camera – but we didn’t get to see the chief in front of a camera.
The two reporters were sitting in the lobby watching the chief chatting away on a cell phone. We looked at each other and wondered – aren’t we supposed to be up there watching this all happen?
Apparently not.
This newest communications gadget is known as Periscope which you access via your twitter account.
What exactly then it Periscope?
It is a live video streaming app for iOS and Android.
Twitter lets you read about something that is going on in real time – Periscope lets you see what is going on in real time.
This afternoon the chief sat down with a cup of coffee in hand and talked to whoever was tuned in. People “tune in” via their tweet account.
The Regional police are still trying to get a tight grip on the technology which could prove to be a very useful tool with all kinds of communication potential.
Care to put a number on that potential?
Periscope was acquired January 2015 by Twitter before the product had been publicly launched. One investor source says the acquisition amount was “sizeable”, above $50 million. Another says it fell between $75 and $100 million.
 Milla Pickfield interviewing the Chief of Police for the Gazette. She aced it. The Chief gets out into the community for much more than photo ops.
Once the technology types at police headquarters has a deeper understanding of what can and can’t be done with Periscope Sgt Chantal Connor said there would be officers in each detachment with experience using the app.
It could become a very powerful tool – police could not only tweet those 140 characters but use Periscope to send a live video feed.
Stay tuned for this on.
We accepted Sgt Connor’s apology for the communications screw up.
Final note – the Chief should wear a white dress shirt when he goes on camera.
Check out the show for yourself – scroll down to get the part with the Chief.
https://twitter.com/search?q=halton%20police&src=tyah
By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Each year, the Halton District School Board hosts public speaking competitions in Canada’s two official languages.
The English public speaking competition involving approximately 20 students in Grade 9-12 on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. It
starts at 6:30 p.m. at White Oaks Secondary School (1330 Montclair Dr., Oakville). The public can attend this free event.
The event provides separate competitions for Junior (Grade 9-10) and senior (Grade 11-12). Students speak on any subject they choose for 5-6 minutes
without a microphone and be judged on organization, effectiveness originality, grammar, delivery, voice, body language, eye contact, grammatical correctness, enthusiasm and pronunciation. The judging panel will include Associate Director of Education David Boag, Board trustees Kim Graves and Kelly Amos, and a member of the Oakville Toast Masters.
Kyle Stewart, White Oaks Secondary School teacher and co-organizer of the April 12 event, said public speaking is a skill that can benefit students in their education pursuits as well as in the workforce.
“This event is an opportunity for students to showcase their strengths in public speaking,” Stewart said. “We are expecting a tough competition and
fantastic speeches from these exceptional students.”
Prizes will be awarded to the winners in the Junior and Senior categories.
Last week, the Board held its French public speaking competition for more than two-dozen elementary and secondary students. The winning students will represent the Board at the Canadian Parents for French French Public Speaking Regionals at the Glendon campus of York University on *Saturday
May 14, 2016*.
The winners were in the following categories: Core French Junior – Manahil Sabrini W.H. Morden Public School; Intermediate – Urmi Sheth, W.H. Morden Public School; Extended French – Junior Alish Ahmed, W.H. Morden Public School, Intermediate – Sara Zia, W.H. Morden Public School; Francophone Plus (FSL+) Junior – Jose Milan, Forest Trail Public School, Intermediate – Julia Mistele, Sunningdale Public School, French Immersion – Junior Vanditha Widyalankar, Tiger Jeet Singh Public School; Intermediate – Abigayle Burnette, Rolling Meadows Public School.
Grade 11-12 student Nicolas Génier, White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) – French as a mother tongue; Grade 11-12 student Abdulrahman Al Bochi, WOSS – French Immersion; Grade 11-12 student Afif Bhimani, WOSS – Extended French; Grade 9-10 student Danyaal Irfan, Iroquois Ridge – French Immersion; Grade 9-10 student Abi Sudharsham, WOSS – Core French.
 By Pepper Parr
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Rick Goldring has released the names of his Millennial Advisory Committee.
 Mayor Rick Goldring with his rarely worn outside the Council Chamber Chain of Office. The committee will develop initiatives focused on how to keep and attract residents aged 18 to 35 in Burlington. It will also concentrate on creating opportunities to engage millennials with their community.
The members of Mayor Rick Goldring’s Millennial Advisory Committee are:
Elizabeth Blanchard
Jessica Bowes
Kimberly Calderbank
Tyler Freeman
Rebecca Hinchcliffe
Maude Leger
Beth Martin
Mark McGuire
Phuong Nguyen
Darcy Oberding
Christopher Reuse
Julia Ricottone
Chris Ritsma
Brad Smith
Sasha Theron
Kayla van Zon
Ashley Venables
Karl Wulf
Interested applicants were asked to submit their name, age, contact information, profession/student status and a 500-word essay on their ideas for the committee that would help meet its mandate of helping Burlington foster and retain millennial-age residents. Applicants could live or work in Burlington.
Committee members will serve a term of one year starting April 2016. The committee will meet the second Thursday of each month from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at rotating city facilities across Burlington. Meeting details and committee updates will be posted at burlingtonmayor.com.
“I look forward to the ideas, insight and initiatives from this committee,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “If we want to be successful in attracting and keeping young people in Burlington, we need them to help us create that city. This is another example of how we are working with the community on great city-building. Everyone’s voice matters and we have the opportunity to learn a lot from each other.”
Is this committee part of the election team Mayor Goldring is now putting together? There is at least one person related to one of the Mayor’s leading advisors.
 By Ray Rivers
April 8, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Please don’t think that because I criticized Ontario’s Premier for holding special access fundraising events – that I’m responsible for her changing her mind on this delicate matter.
 A live in between the politicians and the business interests. We know that Premier Wynne had been thinking about this for some time. But I am pleased to see she is finally reacting: cancelling all ministerial fundraising events, phasing out corporate and union donations, limiting individual donations, and putting rules around third party advertising during elections.
The Premier has promised to consult with the other provincial leaders on these election finance reforms, so the ink is far from dry on the changes. But the Conservatives, under their new leader Mr. Brown, seem supportive of her proposed changes, though they are reluctant to give up their own fundraising events. And the NDP can hardly say no, though they must be a little concerned about losing their union financial support.
And to complete the picture, the Province has also announced changes to the way municipal elections are to be run. New rules will enable municipalities to use ranked ballots and to ban corporate and union contributions to municipal electoral campaigns, as the City of Toronto had done years ago. This enthusiasm for improving local democracy does, however, begs a question. If these changes are such a good idea, why not just mandate them rather than leaving it up to municipal councils to voluntarily implement?
 Is the public ready for ranked ballot elections and will they press their councils in the municipalities to implement them? Incumbents in municipal councils are typically the default winners at election time. So don’t expect them to be in a hurry to revamp a system that keeps them in power. Without political parties, many voters see local elections as a crap shoot, since they typically aren’t aware of what each candidates actually stands for – so vote for the incumbent. A ranked ballot may not change that, nor change the frequency of incumbent re-elections. But those who do get elected will have broader public support as a first, second or third choice.
And, if ranked ballots will enhance local democracy, why not implement ranked ballots for Ontario’s provincial elections as well? And why isn’t the Premier joining fellow Liberal Justin Trudeau in his search for an electoral process to better serve Canadians? Harmonizing Ontario’s electoral process with Canada’s can only make voters more comfortable with the voting process, and perhaps encourage more voters to come out on election day.
Jean Chretien has a place in Canada’s history books for at least two reasons. First, he kept Canada out of the disastrous invasion of Iraq. And second, he revolutionized federal election finance rules. Those rules were so well-founded that his arch foe, Mr. Harper, largely continued them, in fact strengthening the prohibition on corporate and union contributions. And we know Chretien got it right because even the Globe and Mail, in a recent editorial, has called on the provinces to adopt the federal election financing rules as their own.
Of course Mr. Harper couldn’t leave well enough alone. The very notion that government would actually fund the operation of political parties is anathema to neo-conservatives. So no sooner had he obtained his majority, than he ripped the heart out of Chretien’s package by killing public financing as a partial alternative to financing with private donations. And then he once again increased contribution limits. It didn’t matter that political deductions cost the government more in lost revenue than it would have to pay for the public financing alternative.
 How many donations are paid in cash that is stuffed in large brown envelopes? Not only is public financing a more equitable and efficient way of allowing political parties to continue to serve Canadians, it is the only way to effectively put a stop to the political gravy train. That is right, big donors give money because they believe that buys them influence, and if you’re not a big donor…?
The system will always be tilted in favour of those with fat cheques going to the party war chest which best reflects their needs, unless we put a stop to it. And as to fairness – as one reader noted, political contributions receive higher income tax deductibility than do charitable donations.
Even before the recent Liberal sponsorship scandal, politics in Quebec was often associated with corruption. Whether perception or reality, the provincial government has reacted to that issue by limiting annual political party donations to $100 – a model for the rest of the country I believe.
Rivers will be away for a few weeks travelling in the Ukraine doing research for his next novel. His first book, “The End of September” , is available on Amazin. Ray Rivers will return to his weekly column 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 where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province. Rivers is no longer active with any political party.
Background links:
Corruption – Evils of Fundraising – End of Fundraising – Third Parties – Selling Access to Decision Makers –
Wynne Cancels Fundraisers – Political Financing in Canada – Quebec Contribtion Rules – Municipal Elections –
Ranked Ballots – How Ranked Works –
 By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
If you have at some point felt your financial planner was not really delivering the level of service you thought you deserved for the fees you are paying – the province wouldlike to hear from you.
 This isn’t the experience for everyone who engages a financial advisor – the province wants to hear about your experience. Ontario is seeking public feedback on recommendations to help consumers access quality, professional financial planning and advice.
The Expert Committee to consider Financial Advisory and Financial Planning Policy Alternatives has issued a report outlining preliminary recommendations, including:
Regulating individuals who serve as financial planners and advisors
Harmonizing industry education, credentialing, licensing and titling standards
Establishing clear rules to protect consumers and mitigate the risk of conflict of interest
Starting today, Ontarians can provide feedback on the expert committee’s recommendations by:
Submitting comments online to
Fin.Adv.Pln@ontario.ca
by June 17
 Or attending one of the public town hall meetings being held across the province
The committee will use the feedback to finalize its recommendations to government, which are expected this fall.
The financial services sector, including financial planning and advising, is critical to Ontario’s economic prosperity. In 2015, the sector accounted for 390,000 jobs across the province, generating almost 10 per cent of Ontario’s GDP.
The Expert Committee to Consider Financial Advisory and Financial Planning Policy Alternatives was established in 2015. The final report by an expert advisory panel reviewing the mandates of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the Financial Services Tribunal and the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario with the goal of modernizing the regulation of financial services and pension plans and increasing agency accountability, is due to be released this spring.
By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier this month the Region introduced its new Internship and Apprenticeship Program that offers 16 one-year internship positions for a variety of roles across all departments of the organization.
 Regional offices in Oakville. The Region developed the program to help young people begin their careers by providing them with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their chosen field, benefit from the mentorship of seasoned professionals and increase their understanding of government.
 Regional Chair Gary Carr at clean up day event “Our new Internship and Apprenticeship Program supports Halton youth in advancing their careers and helps us engage emerging talent to foster a stronger community for everyone,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Halton is an employer of choice that invests in its people and attracts the best in the business. This program presents a fantastic opportunity for young people to grow and learn by working alongside Regional staff to maintain and enhance the high quality of life in Halton.”
By introducing young talent to the organization, the Region also hopes to leverage new ideas and approaches in its delivery of high-quality programs and services.
Internship opportunities are currently posted on the Region’s website and are intended for individuals with a recognized degree, post-graduate certificate or diploma earned between January 2015 and June 2016. The positions will run from May 2016 to May 2017.
To apply for the new internship positions or view other job postings at Halton Region, visit
 By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
When determining what you think and how you feel about the idea of ranked balloting – you will want to see what the results of the most recent municipal election.
City of Burlington 2014 Municipal Election Official Election Summary Results
MAYOR
Precincts Reported: 46 of 46 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Rick GOLDRING |
2,599 |
7,043 |
26,595 |
36,237 |
85.82% |
| Anne MARSDEN |
204 |
444 |
2,395 |
3,043 |
7.21% |
| Peter RUSIN |
210 |
430 |
2,302 |
2,942 |
6.97% |
| Total Votes |
3,013 |
7,917 |
31,292 |
42,222 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 1
Precincts Reported: 14 of 14 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Rick CRAVEN |
377 |
962 |
3,433 |
4,772 |
61.57% |
| Jason BOELHOUWER |
71 |
205 |
1,008 |
1,284 |
16.57% |
| Katherine HENSHELL |
70 |
150 |
966 |
1,186 |
15.30% |
| Garry MILNE |
23 |
45 |
172 |
240 |
3.10% |
| Patrick ALLEN |
14 |
33 |
150 |
197 |
2.54% |
| Margaret Anne STEISS |
6 |
8 |
57 |
71 |
0.92% |
| Total Votes |
561 |
1,403 |
5,786 |
7,750 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 2
Precincts Reported: 12 of 12 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Marianne MEED WARD |
668 |
937 |
3,049 |
4,654 |
72.67% |
| Kelly ARNOTT |
82 |
186 |
615 |
883 |
13.79% |
| Philip PAPADOPOULOS |
47 |
72 |
352 |
471 |
7.35% |
| Andy PORECKI |
25 |
47 |
324 |
396 |
6.18% |
| Total Votes |
822 |
1,242 |
4,340 |
6,404 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 3
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| John TAYLOR |
149 |
586 |
2,242 |
2,977 |
58.69% |
| Lisa COOPER |
44 |
188 |
1,083 |
1,315 |
25.93% |
| Jeff BROOKS |
20 |
148 |
612 |
780 |
15.38% |
| Total Votes |
213 |
922 |
3,937 |
5,072 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 4
Precincts Reported: 15 of 15 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Jack DENNISON |
362 |
911 |
4,128 |
5,401 |
58.33% |
| Carol GOTTLOB |
212 |
601 |
2,429 |
3,242 |
35.01% |
| Doug WILCOX |
40 |
107 |
470 |
617 |
6.66% |
| Total Votes |
614 |
1,619 |
7,027 |
9,260 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 5
Precincts Reported: 14 of 14 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Paul SHARMAN |
139 |
825 |
2,971 |
3,935 |
59.27% |
| James SMITH |
102 |
365 |
1,739 |
2,206 |
33.23% |
| Ian SIMPSON |
16 |
87 |
395 |
498 |
7.50% |
| Total Votes |
257 |
1,277 |
5,105 |
6,639 |
|
CITY AND REGIONAL COUNCILLOR – WARD 6
Precincts Reported: 13 of 13 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Blair LANCASTER |
127 |
464 |
1,496 |
2,087 |
29.93% |
| Angelo BENTIVEGNA |
94 |
313 |
1,235 |
1,642 |
23.55% |
| Jennifer HLUSKO |
75 |
290 |
817 |
1,182 |
16.95% |
| Jim CURRAN |
51 |
117 |
568 |
736 |
10.55% |
| Pardeep Kaur DOSANJH |
176 |
68 |
207 |
451 |
6.47% |
| Vanessa WARREN |
28 |
97 |
283 |
408 |
5.85% |
| Mina WAHIDI |
13 |
44 |
157 |
214 |
3.07% |
| Jivan SANGHERA |
33 |
22 |
120 |
175 |
2.51% |
| Ishar THIARA |
2 |
12 |
40 |
54 |
0.77% |
| Shoaib SHAMS |
3 |
6 |
15 |
24 |
0.34% |
| Total Votes |
602 |
1,433 |
4,938 |
6,973 |
|
REGIONAL CHAIR
Precincts Reported: 46 of 46 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Gary CARR |
2,088 |
5,908 |
21,713 |
29,709 |
75.85% |
| Greg WOODRUFF |
367 |
1,112 |
4,333 |
5,812 |
14.84% |
| John PAULIC |
172 |
227 |
1,697 |
2,096 |
5.35% |
| Syed Ali NAQVI |
139 |
294 |
1,120 |
1,553 |
3.96% |
| Total Votes |
2,766 |
7,541 |
28,863 |
39,170 |
|
HDSB TRUSTEE – WARDS 1 & 2
Precincts Reported: 19 of 19 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Leah REYNOLDS |
478 |
986 |
3,640 |
5,104 |
49.67% |
| Mary DILLY |
302 |
537 |
1,952 |
2,791 |
27.16% |
| Judy WORSLEY |
228 |
495 |
1,658 |
2,381 |
23.17% |
| Total Votes |
1,008 |
2,018 |
7,250 |
10,276 |
|
HDSB TRUSTEE – WARDS 3 & 6
Precincts Reported: 19 of 19 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Andrea GREBENC |
225 |
796 |
2,794 |
3,815 |
48.67% |
| Michael KUKHTA |
157 |
244 |
1,206 |
1,607 |
20.50% |
| Denise NACEV |
81 |
284 |
888 |
1,253 |
15.99% |
| Timothy TIMAR |
97 |
279 |
787 |
1,163 |
14.84% |
| Total Votes |
560 |
1,603 |
5,675 |
7,838 |
|
HDSB TRUSTEE – WARD 4
Precincts Reported: 15 of 15 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Richelle PAPIN |
156 |
473 |
2,083 |
2,712 |
41.19% |
| Kristen LOCHHEAD |
174 |
369 |
1,468 |
2,011 |
30.54% |
| Margo SHUTTLEWORTH |
125 |
425 |
1,311 |
1,861 |
28.27% |
| Total Votes |
455 |
1,267 |
4,862 |
6,584 |
|
HDSB TRUSTEE – WARD 5 [ACCLAIMED]
Precincts Reported: 14 of 14 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Amy COLLARD |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
NaN |
| Total Votes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Arlene IANTOMASI |
80 |
203 |
779 |
1,062 |
42.51% |
| Tim O’BRIEN |
95 |
137 |
779 |
1,011 |
40.47% |
| Jason CRAWFORD |
35 |
58 |
332 |
425 |
17.01% |
| Total Votes |
210 |
398 |
1,890 |
2,498 |
|
HCDSB TRUSTEE – WARDS 3 & 6
Precincts Reported: 19 of 19 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Jane MICHAEL |
66 |
258 |
989 |
1,313 |
47.99% |
| Josh DUIJVESTEIN |
20 |
126 |
373 |
519 |
18.97% |
| Noah PARKER |
28 |
96 |
373 |
497 |
18.17% |
| Javier RUBATTO |
17 |
27 |
363 |
407 |
14.88% |
| Total Votes |
131 |
507 |
2,098 |
2,736 |
|
HCDSB TRUSTEE – WARDS 4 & 5
Precincts Reported: 22 of 22 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Susan J. TRITES |
37 |
141 |
899 |
1,077 |
34.64% |
| John MORRISON |
58 |
178 |
826 |
1,062 |
34.16% |
| Kathleen HAUWERT |
48 |
140 |
782 |
970 |
31.20% |
| Total Votes |
143 |
459 |
2,507 |
3,109 |
|
TRUSTEE, CONSEIL SCOLAIRE VIAMONDE
Precincts Reported: 46 of 46 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Pierre GIROUARD |
6 |
22 |
64 |
92 |
69.70% |
| Malika ATTOU |
0 |
17 |
23 |
40 |
30.30% |
| Total Votes |
6 |
39 |
87 |
132 |
|
TRUSTEE, CONSEIL SCOLAIRE DE DISTRICT CATHOLIQUE CENTRE-SUD
Precincts Reported: 46 of 46 (100.00%)
| Candidate |
Advance |
Internet |
Election Day |
Total |
| Dominique JANSSENS |
12 |
41 |
154 |
207 |
88.09% |
| Rafik MORCOS |
2 |
5 |
21 |
28 |
11.91% |
| Total Votes |
14 |
46 |
175 |
235 |
|
 By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s not-for-profit hockey organization that offers girls a fun environment to play Canada’s favourite sport — picked up two GOLD medals and one SILVER medal at the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) Championship Weekend, April 1-3, 2016 in North York.
 An incredible showcase for Canada’s girls minor hockey players, the BGHC had four teams participate in the LLFHL including Peewee AA, Bantam AA, Peewee BB and Midget A, a team who came out victorious in their division after three rounds of pre-championship playoffs.
“These medals are the product of hard work from a great group of athletes and dedicated volunteer staff,” says Jason Crawford, Vice President of Hockey Operations, Burlington Girls Hockey Club. “The Lower Lakes Female Hockey League is one of the largest girls minor hockey leagues in the world. Simply making the final weekend is a major achievement due to the challenging multi-week playoff format. To bring home three LLFHL medals is an incredible accomplishment. All our BGHC teams have proudly represented our community and together, we celebrate their achievements during the 2015-2016 season!”
Peewee AA — GOLD
The Burlington gold rush began with the Peewee AA team who won 4-0 over the Oakville Hornets in the final game after being undefeated in the round robin. The BGHC Peewee AA team is the #1 ranked team in Canada.
 Front row (L-R): Jamie Matthews, Mae Matteis. Middle row (L-R): Jalen Duffy, Christina Walker, Elizabeth Gauthier, Olivia Stock, Emily Davidge, Maddie Suitor, Jaime Kastelic. Back row (L-R): Jamie Suitor (Assistant Coach), Payton Bennett, Olivia Muhn, Kevin Greco (Head Coach), Kara den Hoed, Tijana Miskovic, Courtney Rice, Mike Gauthier (Assistant Coach), Sara Davidge, Paige Greco, Kyla Josifovic, April Josifovic (Manager), Tim Bennett (Assistant Coach). Missing from Picture: Assistant Coach Frank Kastelic and Kevin Matthews; Trainers Kim Davidge and Sharon Rice Bantam AA — GOLD
The BGHC’s success continued when Bantam AA captured their division with a final score 2- 1 vs the Stoney Creek Sabres. This team also went undefeated in all 6 of their games and is currently the #2 ranked team in Canada.
 Front row (L-R): Brynn Koocher, Sara Boucher, Taylor Batista, Grace Bellamy, Amanda Rampado, Olivia Muhar, Bianca Chevarie. Middle Row (L-R): Head Coach Fred Koocher, Alyssa Meyer, Catherine Trevors, Rachael Carson, Jenna Morais, Kristen Walker, Mackenzie Lauretti, Jenna MacLean, Assistant Coach Karl Lauretti, Miranda Dyer and Assistant Coach Preston Dyer. Back Row (L-R): Paige Kenyon, Teeghan Dalby Peewee BB — SILVER
The BGHC Peewee BB team was undefeated in the round robin and lost to the Orillia Hawks in overtime with a score of 3-2.
 Front row (L-R): Ella Arsenault, Callista Thompson. Kneeling (L-R): Peyton Bear, Maddie Dilworth, Savannah Singh, Reese Andreychuk, Claire Shepherd, Jessica Anderchek. Standing (L-R): Renee Doucet, Ali Armstrong, Madisson Fonseca, Kristen Hazlett, Regan Duffy, Charlie Lewis, Ainsley Kaszecki, Kira Rowe, Madison Uba.
By Staff
April 8, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Air Cadets of 715 Mohawk Squadron, Burlington, will be honouring the 3,600 Canadian lives lost at the Battle of Vimy Ridge by marching 3.6 kilometres from the
Royal Canadian Legion, Burlington Branch 60 to City Hall beginning at 9 a.m. on April 9.
 The march will result in lane closures. Streets will reopen as soon as possible following the completion of the march.
Traffic Lane Closures – 9 a.m. start time
The march will use one lane, expect delays:
Fairview Street travelling east, between Brant Street and Drury Lane; Drury Lane, south to Prospect Street; Prospect Street, west
to George Street’ George Street, south to Ghent Avenue Ghent Avenue, west to Brant Street.
Brant Street, south to City Hall, Civic Square
Emergency Services access will be maintained at all times along the event route.
Supervision
Police will direct traffic at major intersections and event volunteers will assist motorists at multi-residential driveways and on side streets.
By Pepper Parr
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Yesterday, the Ontario government introduced legislation that will allow any municipality in Ontario to use ranked ballots in the 2018 election.
“Ranked ballots give more power to voters. They reduce negative campaigns, eliminate strategic voting, increase diversity on the ballot, increase turnover, and give us
more accurate results. In other words, this historic reform will make our local elections more fair and friendly” says Dave Meslin, Creative Director of Unlock Democracy.
123Ontario is a network of volunteer-run campaigns across on Ontario, pushing for municipal ranked ballots. Currently, we have active campaigns in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Guelph, Windsor, Whitby and Hamilton.
“This legislation is a huge step forward for democracy in Ontario” said Katherine Skene, Co-Chair of Toronto’s RaBIT campaign. “We’re hopeful
that Toronto sees this as a renewed opportunity to improve our own voting system so our government better represents the diversity of our city.”
 Will this council vote to introduce ranked balloting to the 2018 municipal election? Self interest rather than a true belief in the democratic process will determine what they do. Once the legislation is adopted by the provincial parliament, municipalities will have the choice of using ranked ballots either in single member districts. In single-member districts, the person with the most votes wins.
“Democratic renewal has witnessed a tremendous surge recently. Alongside electronic voting and the regional adjustment of council seats, ranked ballots are the next logical step.” said Nick Boileau, Chair of 123whitby.
Just because the provincial government legislation allows a municipality to introduce ranked ballots doesn’t mean it will be implemented automatically. Each municipality will have to vote on the matter and before they do that – there will probably have to be a staff report recommending the municipality convert from the current system to one of ranking the ballots cast.
While it looks as if the legislation will sail through the legislative process smoothly – don’t expect the municipalities to rush in to go ranked. Concerned citizens are going to have to form their own advocacy groups and pressure their elected officials to make the change.
 Those in Burlington like what they have now and aren’t likely to make a change. Burlington re-elected every member of the current council – there was just the one Councillor who might have been impacted by a ranked counting of the ballots. Blair Lancaster won with 2087, less than 30% of the votes. .
Ontario has 444 municipalities – with less than ten having local committees that are advocating or a change in the way members of city council are elected.
The Gazette will report in depth on this opportunity to strengthen the democratic process in Burlington.
 By Staff
April 7, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Board of education is going to host behavioural expert who will talk on dealing with challenging behaviour in children and teens on April 27, 2016. The event starts 7 p.m., and will be held at Burlington Performing Arts Centre
 Dr. J. Stuart Ablon, on the right, will speak about why some children and adolescents have difficulty managing their behaviour. Dr. J. Stuart Ablon will speak about why some children and adolescents have difficulty managing their behaviour. His presentation will provide an overview of Collaborative Problem-Solving, an evidence-based approach to understanding and helping children and adolescents with behaviour challenges.
Specifically, the Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach provides an alternative conceptualization to help parents with explosive noncompliant children and adolescents. The CPS model helps adults teach children lacking cognitive skills in the domains of flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance and problem‐solving.
Dr. Ablon is the Director of Think: Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
 By Staff
April 6, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a program at the Seniors’ Centre that gives you a reason to get out of bed on Saturday’s!
Breakfast @ the Bistro keeps seniors and volunteers of all ages engaged as they cook and serve breakfast to community members at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre,” said Chris Glenn, director of parks and recreation. “Burlington Seniors’ Centre welcomes the community to enjoy an affordable breakfast and entertainment once a month, thanks to a donation from the Lions Club of Burlington
 Breakfast @ The Bistro – entertainment follows at the Seniors” Centre this Saturday. This Saturday the Lions will present a cheque for $500 to the Burlington Seniors’ Centre to help sustain the popular monthly breakfast program and keep costs low and affordable for seniors.
On Saturday, April 9, Lions Club executive members Blair Greer, club president, Jim Mc Laughlin, first vice president, Barry Leppan, second vice president and Jim O’Breza, treasurer will be at the Seniors’ Centre Breakfast @ the Bistro to serve coffee and breakfast after the cheque presentation at 8:55 a.m. Breakfast will begin at 9 a.m. and is served until 10 a.m.
The Escapade Trio, a vocal and piano trio specializing in Jazz and popular music from the golden age of the hit parade will perform at 10 a.m. Their music includes Louis Armstrong to Elvis and Frank Sinatra to Motown songs.
By Staff
April 6, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The nature of law enforcement has changed over the last decade with the introduction of social media. The Halton Regional Police is making strides in connecting with communities through platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
In addition to sharing news releases on police investigations, suspect descriptions and enforcement initiatives, social media provides the police a resource to connect and engage with people of all ages.
The social media platforms we use, such as Facebook and Twitter, provides the opportunity for the police to chat and converse with the public about important topics and helps build trusting relationships with the communities in which we serve.
We are always looking to improve and build on our community engagement and are adding a new social media platform to our repertoire.
Welcome to Periscope with the Halton Regional Police.
Periscope is a live video streaming platform/app connected to Twitter that allows the user to transmit a live video recording and allows the viewer to comment and ask
questions.
 Halton Regional Police Services Chief Tanner wants to tweet with you. Join us for our first Periscope live video on Thursday, April 7th at 10:30am. Go behind-the-scenes with Chief Stephen Tanner who will welcome you from his office.
This video will be followed by a tour of the front lobby at Halton Regional Police Headquarters at 11:00am and then a visit to our Communications Bureau at 11:30am
where you will get a glimpse into the day of our call takers and dispatchers who work 24/7 answering the call for help.
During each broadcast you will be able to interact with and ask questions about the Halton Regional Police Service.
There is an app you will b able to download – follow us on Twitter for upcoming information sharing videos.
By Staff
April 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
“From the time we are little, we are taught to share” declared Lawson Hunter. ”However, as we age, the desire to acquire ‘stuff’ grows as soon as we earn a little bit of money and join the consumer society. Advertising pushes us to buy the next best thing, a bigger, better, newer version, a complete set, to find happiness and fulfillment. That may be good for the economy but is it good for society?
 Uber taxi, while disruptive to the taxi industry, is one of the more popular sharing services. “Capitalism may be built on competition,” says Lawson Hunter, “but history shows that we progress much further if we co-operate with one another.” Collaboration, the sharing of ideas and resources, takes us leaps and bounds beyond the private, proprietary approach. Community has always meant working together to achieve good for everyone, not just the individual. Inequality results when many hands do the work but only a few grow wealthy because of it. Sharing brings everyone up to the same level and everyone benefits.
Some call it the ‘sharing economy’; the gig economy; the gift economy; peer-to-peer accommodation; or collaborative consumption, but at its core it is very simple – if you’re not using something why not let someone else use it?
Though not officially counted in the GDP, the sharing economy could grow to $335 billion by 2025, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers. This is the foundation behind such revolutionary start-ups such as Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, TaskRabbit and dozens of other disruptive technologies that citizens and cities are embracing or challenging, depending on your point of view.
To that end, Hunter met with the Mayor to see if he could get something going at that level – the Mayor is going to think about it.
He has run the idea by a couple of council members – they didn’t day ‘not a hope’. Hunter, who is a letter carrier dabbles in some public relations consulting.
 Libraries are perhaps the original sharing service. The sharing economy has opened the door to more efficient uses of everyday items we own but do not use to their fullest capacity. For example, car ownership is ubiquitous and yet most cars sit parked for most of the day. Someone may purchase a drill only to use it a half a dozen times in total leaving it to lay in the toolbox for years. Books, clothing, household items may be used once or twice and then discarded. This is an incredible waste and unsustainable. Why not ‘share’ with someone else, reducing cost, optimizing resources, and extending the usefulness of thousands of articles?
Hunter points out that we already share quite a lot! We just don’t know about it or take it for granted. Libraries, food banks, used clothing stores, parks, public transit, recycled building materials, and even co-operative housing are examples of the sharing economy.
Volunteering to coach hockey, teaching someone to read, driving a patient to the hospital, carpooling, shoveling your neighbour’s sidewalk are just some of the ways we already ‘share’ our time and effort, goods and services. It’s important to measure, and celebrate, the many ways society shares its common resources. There is an international organization that wants every community to stand up and be counted in The Sharing Cities Network – www.shareable.net.
Hunter explains an event called a mapjam – a time when people get together and map out just where sharing is done in a city. “You would be surprised ay just how much sharing goes on” and points to a number of situations in Burlington where people on a street collectively own a heavy duty snow blower.
More than 500 MapJams have been hosted in 60 countries – two have taken place in Canada – Elora and Toronto.
 Many cities around the world have created bicycle sharing services. Hunter wants Burlington to join that Network. To kick things off, he is hosting a ‘#Map Jam’ on Thursday, April 14, 7:30pm, Frank Rose Room, at the Burlington Central Library. Every organization that shares, opens its doors, facilitates exchanges, co-ordinates time-sharing or carpooling or food banks or little league sports, arts, and activities is invited to network, meet other sharing activists and exchange information. The general public is also invited to learn more about the sharing economy. “We may all be amazed at how we already are in the sharing economy,” says Hunter.
What Hunter is promoting is exactly what the Parks and Recreation department is trying to get going in the city.
Related news story – city prepared to fund projects
By Pepper Parr
April 5, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It is sometimes difficult for media to establish a working relationship with senior people in any organization. Some executives understand what media is and the role it plays – others work at spinning media, trying to make it work for them while others find a way to work with media and use it to amplify what they want to communicate. There are, unfortunately, those who don’t fully understand the need to communicate.
The Gazette has worked with three different city managers. Roman Martiuk was the first – he had not worked with the kind of media the Gazette was setting out to be. We report but we put what we are writing about in context and analyze at the same time.
Media has changed from just the 5 W’s – who, what, where, when and why.
Martiuk was replaced by Jeff Fielding who turned out to be far more city manager than city council was ready for – and this Council turned out to be less than what Fielding needed to do things his way.
Fielding left London, Ontario partly because things there were getting toxic and he had a Mayor that just might be going to jail – not for city related misdemeanors – but it was not a healthy environment.
Fielding was wide open with media – he had no problems whatsoever answering questions and was consistently available for background.
 Will Burlington see substantial change in the way staff serves taxpayers; will there be real transparency and accountability? Fielding then got the opportunity of a life time to work with perhaps the most progressive Mayor in the country – he was on a plane to Calgary with less than half of his contract fulfilled.
Pat Moyle was parachuted in as city manager from his retirement from the Regional government to oversee the work that then General manager Scott Stewart was doing running the city.
Many thought Stewart should have gotten the job of replacing Fielding but for reasons that are never going to be fully understood Stewart wasn’t what the majority of Council wanted.
 Does one say No – to this man? They instead hired James Ridge, who had never run a city before, but had a strong pedigree and was seen to be the person who could bring some order and discipline to a city staff that had seen three different city managers over a four year time frame. There was also a morale problem and staff retention was becoming an issue.
Stewart stayed on to get Ridge through the best part of a year and found a place in Guelph where his growth potential might be recognised.
Ridge has a quiet style – it has taken some time to get a sense as to how he operates. He thinks things through – manages an organization that once had three general managers and now has none.
Ridge has chosen to have the nine Directors report directly to him – he meets with all of them as a team once a week.
The weak link in this approach is that there is no fall back senior manager for the city. Each of the Directors has their individual and unique strengths, abilities and weaknesses – but none that is an obvious future general manager.
Ridge does say that he isn’t locked into the current administrative structure – it is what he is going to go with for the immediate future.
He has parted ways with one Director and word has it that while his style is to be friendly and outgoing in his own at times shy way – he can be very strong and tough when he has to be.
His focus has been on getting a sense as to what he has in the way of a city council and how he directs himself to fulfill the tasks they direct him to deliver on and at the same time meet the requirements of the Municipal Act and other provincial legislation he must comply with.
 James Ridge – walking around hi part o the city. Ridge doesn’t do the both guns blazing that Fielding had as an operating style (it was exciting and for many staff members exhausting); his tends to be a single, well-placed single shot kind of guy.
He isn’t one of those pat you on the back chamber of commerce boosters; this man thinks it through.
The downside for James Ridge is that he doesn’t have all that much Ontario experience and basically no Burlington experience. It is a complex city; wealthy by any measure and yet insular in many ways – almost as if it doesn’t’ quite know what I wants to be when it grows up. Its very talented population lives in the city but applies its talents elsewhere and wants a city that is safe, clean that provides the services they need.
He may not act as quickly as Fielding did – but there will be fewer mistakes.
He has managed to run afoul of one or two people when he has failed to deliver.
 City manager Ridge, centre, at the last session of the Strategic Plan Committee of the whole meeting. His focus has been on putting together a significantly different Strategic Plan and then developing work plans for himself and coaching his Directors as they develop their work plans to ensure that the many promises in the Strategic Plan are met – and the plan is loaded with promises.
He has to maintain whatever he has in the way of juggling skills as the city bumps into its debt load capacity policy. In the almost immediate future the city’s borrowing capacity is going to have to be increased and council will look to the city manager for recommendations on the numerous unfunded projects that are being worked up by staff.
Ridge is going to have to find a way to deal with the way this Council chose to fund its portion of the Joseph Brant hospital upgrade/rebuild. The $60 million the taxpayers have to pony up has stressed the city’s borrowing capacity.
On the upside for Ridge is the more than a handful of managers who show great promise – mostly female by the way, – he appears to spend a considerable amount of time nurturing these people and giving them the room they need to experiment and do things differently.
One has to listen carefully to get a true sense as to where Ridge is going – when he speaks it is usually in measured tones but he seldom fails to make his point.
He is fully aware of the weak spots in his administration; he hasn’t yet shown us if he is really prepared to go outside the existing staff compliment for new blood – he has made at least one major appointment without advertising the position.
There are hints as to the kind of city hall Ridge intends to create. Delivering on the service side and being truly accountable appear to be part of his philosophy.
Bfast, Burlington for Accessible Affordable Transit, recently held a citizens Forum on transit issues. The Forum held last year didn’t manage to seem important enough for the Director of Transit to make an appearance. There was apparently a “conversation” between the City Manager and the Director of Transit.
 Director of Transit Mike Spicer and City Manager James Ridge. The Forum was held at the Central Library which is on New Street. Transit service had been re-routed while the Region was putting in new water mains – making it impossible to use a bus to get to the Forum. Ridge apparently brought this situation to the attention of the transit department and a shuttle service was put in place.
Burlington hasn’t seen that kind of quick response to a problem situation in the past.
The Strategic Plan is more than a year late and probably way over budget as well. Is Ridge able to meet the time lines he puts in place?
Ridge gets out into the community and we are not aware of any outrageous promises he has made to any of the stakeholders or community groups. The city is not likely to see the kind of giveaway Fielding did for the seniors when they ran into some accounting problems. He isn’t likely to go along with the significant property enrichment that Fielding allowed with the property swap at Walkers Line and the North Service Road.
 City Manager James Ridge at his first city council meeting. When can some conclusions be made as to the operating style this city manager will use. His next budget will be telling and when he is a full year into executing on his Strategic Plan we will see how big the space is between his talk and his walk.
Now to get him to talk a little bit more; loquacious he ain’t.
Has he got a true sense of what he has in the way of a city council; it couldn’t have taken him all that long to see the dysfunction. City managers have to live with the council the public elects.
Former Mayor Rob MacIsaac had a sterling relationship with Tim Dobbie his city manager – between the two of them they ran city hall – they also gave us that pier didn’t they.
Ridge does not have and isn’t likely to have that kind of a tight working relationship with the current Mayor and you won’t see any wild eyed dreams from this very buttoned down former military officer. He is a man of principle and will stick to his guns
By Staff
April 4, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance identifying a male that robbed a Burlington retail money exchange location.
On Monday afternoon at approximately 4:30pm, a lone male went to the Continental Currency Exchange located in the Mapleview Mall.
The suspect climbed over a protective glass partition and confronted two employees.
The suspect was able to access the cash area and stole an undisclosed amount of currency before fleeing the store on foot. The employees were not injured during the incident.
The suspect is described as a male, white, between 25 to 35 years of age, standing approximately 5’8″, with a thin build. He has a brown goatee and wore dark clothing and dark sunglasses.
Upon exiting the mall, the suspect was last seen running in an easterly direction.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905 825-4747 ext. 2316 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 Pepper Parr
April 4, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario will introduce changes to the Municipal Elections Act that would, if passed, modernize municipal elections and provide the option of using ranked ballots in future municipal elections.
Ontario consulted on potential changes to the Municipal Elections Act and received more than 3,400 submissions. Most submissions were from members of the public and supported giving municipalities the option of using ranked ballots in future elections, which would allow a voter to rank candidates in order of preference. The option to use ranked ballots would begin for the 2018 municipal elections.
Other proposed changes to the act would, if passed, increase transparency and accountability and make election rules clear and modern, by:
Shortening the campaign calendar by opening nominations for candidates on May
1 instead of January 1
Creating a framework to regulate third party advertising, including contribution and spending limits
Making campaign finance rules clearer and easier to follow for voters, candidates and contributors, including giving all municipalities the option to ban corporate and union donations
Removing barriers that could affect electors and candidates with disabilities
Making it easier to add or change information on the voters’ list
 Ted McMeekin, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said: “These proposals clarify the rules for voters and allow for more choice in how to run elections, including the option of using ranked ballots.
No Canadian jurisdiction currently uses ranked ballots. In Ontario there are 444 municipalities that will have to decide what they want to do.
Anyone interested in running for city council will want to see the regulations that will accompany the legislation.
Had there been ranked ballots in the last municipal election – only Blair Lancaster in ward 6 would have been at risk – she would probably have won.
The legislation will make significant changes to the way municipal elections are run – the shorter time frame will favour the incumbents.
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