Blasts from the past: The Platters and the Ink spots in town for one night - good tickets still available.

Event 100By Pepper Parr

November 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

I was supposed to get together with a friend but he cancelled –“Can’t make it – when we learned that Platters were going to be in town we couldn’t order our tickets fast enough.

“They were part of what I was raised on: he added – “you don’t get chances like this to take a trip down memory lane.  I can see me and the misses getting out for a drink after the show and reminiscing. You should join us?”

The show, which is in town for the one day – Friday – tomorrow – and there are still some decent seats available. I notice the box seats don’t seem to be sold – wonder why? Will look into that.

Platters coverMeanwhile – the show. The audience will hear both the Platter and the Ink Spots – both were category breaking for their time.

For those of you who lived your lives then – you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve never heard of them – Google the guys and listen to a few tunes on You Tube – you are in for a treat.

The Platters was an American vocal group; one of the most successful groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967, including four no. 1 hits.

The Platters were one of the first African American groups to be accepted as a major chart group and were, for a period of time, the most successful vocal group in the world.

They were part of that ground breaking, ground shaking era when the segregationist views were being taken apart.

Ink SpotsThe Ink Spots gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. They preceeded the Platters and had a unique musical style that was more rhythm and blues and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities, largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny.

The Ink Spots disbanded in 1954; since then there have been well over 100 vocal groups calling themselves “The Ink Spots” without any right to the name; they have claimed to be “2nd generation” or “3rd generation” Ink Spots.

If there is a good thing going – someone was bound to take up the brand.

In the visuals of the Ink Spot – especially in the album covers the men are portrayed as railway porters because that was the way American then saw what they then called Negros – time have changed and today they are called African Americans in a country led by a black president.

Neither the Platters nor the Ink Spots ever thought such a thing could ever happen.

Seat selection is at: Click here

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Easier way to reach those people at city hall who work on your behalf; new format for email addresses. Does this mean printing new business cards for all of them?

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

November 5, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

This is a change – a welcome one – we think.

Now we know how to reach the people at city hall we want to talk to – sort of gives a new wrinkle to that phrase “You can’t beat city hall” but at least we can write them

email address image

No postage necessary.

The city is in the process standardizing city email addresses to make them more intuitive by using firstname.lastname. Part of that process includes retiring old format city email addresses.

As of Nov. 9, 2015, all city staff email addresses must follow the format of first name.last name (example: John Doe, John.Doe@Burlington.ca). All emails following the old format of last name, first initial (example: John Doe, DoeJ@burlington.ca) will be discontinued and will not reach their destination after Nov. 9, 2015.

Effect on the public is expected to be minimal as the new email address format has been in use since 2012.

If anyone is looking to email a city staff member and does not know his or her email, please call 905-335-7600 for assistance.

Burlington city hall with clock

The street address will remain the same – email addresses are being standardized.

When the Shape Burlington report was published in 2010 one of its comments was that city staff was hard to get through to and there was a suggestion made at a public meeting that the staff directory should be put on line – that way it would be easy to find who you wanted and email them.

That idea got the kibosh from one of the General Managers on the payroll at the time.

This new protocol isn’t going to make any difference to Tom Muir who was promised a meaningful response” from Mayor Goldring to the several questions he had as to why the city failed to vote on a development application from ADI Development Group.  The best the Mayor, who has several email addresses, was able to do was thank Councillor Marianne Meed Ward for answering Muir’s questions and copy Muir

Which does give a who new dimension to the phrase “meaningful response”

Mayor stiffs a constituent.

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Fire arms amnesty pulls in more than 100 weapons - streets are now safer say the police.

Crime 100By Staff

November 5th, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton Regional Police have completed their week long firearms and weapons amnesty.

Between October 19 and October 26, 2015, Halton officers responded to pick up requests from citizens around the region, looking to surrender and dispose of firearms and weapons.

Approximately 130 firearms were turned in, approximately 10 knives and 250 pounds of ammunition.

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295,671.77 lbs of food raised through the Giving Back project; bit more to come.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

November 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Not quite the number that was hoped for (305,000 LBS) but a fabulous number nevertheless.

Giving back - loaded bins

Some of the 295,000 lbs plus food collected in a two day period – ready for the trucks and the fork lifts

And there are bits and pieces that will arrive on Thursday that will take that total of 295,671.77 lbs up a notch or two.

The efforts of the various teams went like this:

In 1st Place: Minor Atom AA with 22,132.7 lbs!
2nd Place Team: Minor Atom A with 18,889.04 lbs!
3rd Place Team: Tyke 1 (AAA) with 17,127.88 lbs!
4th Place Team: Tyke 2 (AA) with 16,998.5 lbs!
5th Place Team: Novice A with 14,503 lbs!

295,671.77 lbs. of food to be distributed to organizations across the community.

Final numbers announced tomorrow.

Giving back - boys with cans

Citizens in the making – learning how to give back to the community.

One final step in what is truly a magnificent effort – and that is to instill in the minds of the thousands of young people who were on the floor of the gymnasium lugging bags and boxes of food from the weighing scale to the sorting tables and then to the bins that will be used to transport the food to warehouses from which it will be distributed – that this is what community is all about.

We are so very fortunate to live in a city that is safe, healthy, prosperous and when called upon exceptionally generous.
This is not something to be taken lightly. Those young people are tomorrow’s leaders – help them understand how big an event they were part of and why it is important for them to carry that tradition forward.

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Kim Kelly, a special constable with the Regional Police to Receive Governor General's Caring Canadian Award

News 100 greenBy Staff

November 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Kim Kelly, a Special Constable with the Halton Police Service, will be meeting the Governor General of Canada later this month and receiving the Caring Canadian Award (one of Canada’s highest honours for volunteers) for her Kim’s Ride To Cross Out Cancer fundraising.

Created in 1995, the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award recognizes individuals who volunteer their time to help others and to build a smarter and more caring nation. The award also highlights the fine example set by these volunteers, whose compassion and engagement are so much a part of our Canadian character. It allows us to thank them for their contributions and for the positive impact they have had on the lives of others.

Kim Kelly on a bike

Twenty three days at between 80 to 100 km per day got Kim Kelly to Charlottetown PEI on her bike.

In July 2013, as a result of a friend’s battle with cancer, Kim planned to do something to help raise awareness and funds to fight it.

In her own words “ When a lifelong friend of mine told me she had stage 4 cancer, I knew I wanted to do more than just offer her support, cook a few meals and drive her to doctors’ appointments. I decided to ride my bike across the Eastern provinces to create awareness and obtain donations for the Canadian Cancer Society”. Her plan turned into action and became “Kim’s Ride to Cross Out Cancer”.

She spent the next year organizing a variety of fundraising efforts, public speaking engagements and rigorous training for what would be a very grueling cycle ride from Burlington, Ontario to Charlottetown, PEI.

Her journey started on June 1, 2014 and she rode 80-100KM everyday arriving in Charlottetown on June 23, 2014.

Kim Kelly

There was never any doubt what she was setting out to do – and she did very well – raised more than $41,000

Kim personally raised over $41,000.00 for the Canadian Cancer Society and has become a remarkable ambassador for the society as well as the Halton Regional Police.

We are proud and commend Kim not just for the sheer magnitude of her efforts, but for the strong impact she and her team had in the Region of Halton, within the police service, and in the towns and villages along her route.

Kim will be receiving this prestigious award on Tuesday November 10, 2015 in the Music Room of the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite, Queen’s Park, Toronto. His Excellency the Right Honourable, David Johnston, Governor General of Canada will be attending from Ottawa to present the award.

Kim Kelley is now one of more than 1,000 volunteers that have been awarded this National Honour,

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Part two of the visualization exercise council recently went through - what might our city look like?

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

November 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Second of a multi part series on how the city thinks intensification could be managed.

Last month the Gazette did an article on what intensification could or might look like at a number of locations around the city.

We passed along what planners thought could be done under the current zoning and what could be done with enhanced zoning

We showed what the plaza at New Street and Guelph Line could look like and the number of people + jobs that would be attracted to the area.

Urban corridor scenario 2

In an earlier article we published several drawings of the kind of development that planners thought could be done along Fairview at Cumberland.

We showed what could be done with parts of Fairview – a part of the city that is certainly car friendly but not a place for people or bicycles for that matter.

We showed what would be possible in the way of changes along the widened Waterdown Road, which the Gazette sees as the hot spot in the city when it comes to growth – the challenge out there will be convincing the citizens that the growth is in their best interests. Aldershot is a part of the city where many of the streets do not have sidewalks – and they like it that way.

The purpose of what the planners called a vizualisation exercise was to give city council an idea of what things would – could look like as the city works its way towards a bigger more populous city.

This city council, with the possible exception of ward 5 Councillor Jack Dennison, would prefer not to see any growth. That there will be growth is because the province is telling us we have to grow – and they are telling the Region how much growth there will be – and the Region will decide how much of that growth lands on our streets.

Council has to find a way to make the growth happen and to keep the taxpayers happy by ensuring them that their part of the city isn’t going to have to absorb that growth.

Existing Official Plan and Zoning By- Law permissions can accommodate 200 people and jobs per hectare within the Urban Growth Centre (UGC) by 2031

This amounts to 22,800 people and jobs within the UGC by 2031

There are no wide swaths of land that the developers can put residential housing on – well there are a couple. The growth in residential is going to have to be up – which means higher density.

We are seeing that with the Molinaro project beside the Burlington GO station and with the Nautique structure that ADI development wants to put up at the intersection of Martha Street and Lakeshore Road.

The visualizations are intended to provide a high level understanding of:

What intensification could look like
The level of development that can be generated through intensification
How well the City’s current planning framework supports intensification

Another development hot spot is the downtown core – specifically along Lakeshore where shovels will go in the ground for the Bridgewater development that will see a 22 storey condominium, a seven story condominium and an eight story hotel operational by sometime in 2018.  Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward wanted to see more interest in developing the downtown core and getting high quality office space built which would attract new corporate clients.

The final two locations that were given a vizualization treatment were Appleby Line north of Upper Middle and Harvester Road at the Appleby GO station.

Uptown existing

Appleby Line north of Upper Middle Road – described as Burlington’s Uptown – the street as it looks today

Appleby Line has seen some very good development south of Upper Middle – the streetscape north is waiting for something to happen.  The street width is very good and the depth of many of the properties is exceptional.  Are there developers that will see the opportunities or will current property owners see an opportunity to improve the return on the land they own.

Uptown scenario 1

Appleby Line north of Upper Middle – a drawing setting out the kind of development that could be done today under the existing zoning. The direction Burlington wants to go in includes well marked bicycle lanes and public open space at either intersections or beside buildings – they are looking for a livable city look with plenty of trees and foliage.

The planners envision three storey retail and high rise up to eleven storeys.  significant increases in the number of trees and wide strips of grass between the sidewalks and the clearly marked bicycle lanes with benches almost anywhere one can be fit in.

The planners want to see open space at the intersections with benches and plants.

Uptown scenatio 2

In order to achieve the intensification targets the province has imposed on the Region – greater density might be needed. This drawing suggests where additional height might might be permitted

Urban employment - existing

Entrance to the Appleby GO station on Harvester Road as it looks today.

An Urban Employment area near the Appleby Line GO station was also reviewed.  Burlington has become quite keen on the idea of hubs – places where commercial, residential and transit would all be in very close proximity to each other.  The city identified five such possible hub locations and appears to be very close to making a decision on which they would like to focus their energy and efforts on.

The extent of possible development around the south side of the Appleby GO station doesn’t appear anywhere near what was thought to be possible suggesting that the planners don’t see this part of the city as that significant a possible hub.

urban employment scenario 1

A vizualization of what current zoning would permit close to the entrance to the Appleby GO station.

What they pointed out could be done under the existing zoning is shown below.

During the discussion and debate that took place as the visuals were shown and at the Strategic Plan creation meetings that have been taking place at the same time were several comments from Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who wanted to see the Downtown core as a place where office space was being built.

Meed Ward argues that the hope for a future Burlington is not the attraction of the seniors – but the attraction of young people who want to live and work in the city – and ensuring that there is housing they can afford. She argues as well that the core needs more people to make the retail and hospitality sectors more viable.

These vizualizations are ideas – what could be done if all the people involved – the owners of the property – the residents in the community, the different agencies who are part of the approval process and city council working from advice their planning staff give them found themselves in agreement.  There were no decisions made, nor were  recommendations put forward – the meetings were an occasion for staff, council members and the consultants that were hired to advise to look at some ideas and and discuss some potentials.

Part 1 of the vizualization exercise.

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Giving Back well past the half way mark of the 305,000 lbs of food they planned on collecting.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

November 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

They came trooping through the door – lugging boxes and bags of food that would be weighed, tagged and then distributed to one of the close to 100 bins that were set out on the floor of the gymnasium of Nelson High School where the Giving Back project, celebrating its tenth year was taking place.

Kavanaugh puttng up the totals

Judie Kavanaugh updates the tally of food as it gets carried into the Nelson gymnasium and weighed

At 11:30 last night Judie Kavanagh told us that they had 164,908.93 lbs of food and added the comment that it was “not a bad start” – more than half way to the target – expect them to reach and pass the target.

Boy caring box

The food comes into the high school gymnasium in boxes and bags.

All the planning and preparing done at endless committee meetings came to a head as food kept arriving and young people were scooting back and forth with boxes and bags.

Jean Longfield, a recipient of the Burlington’s Best Citizen of the Year award, and John Tate roamed the room answering questions, doing interviews and guiding people who were not quite sure what to do next.

Weigh scales

The scale sits on the floor where it is weighed and recorded.

Tate stood in the background greeting people and congratulating those who came through the door with cartons of food.
Parents who normally pack the kids into the vans and take them to hockey games were now sitting at tables tabulating the totals those same children were bringing into the gymnasium.

Girls placing food in bins

Hockey players take packages from the sorting tables to the bins.

It is a significant logistical challenge – the Gazette will report on where all that food goes and how the team that makes it happen debriefs and plans for the next year.

Longfield CHCH + Tate

Jean Longfield during a CHCH interview – with John Tate in the background keeping an eye on things.

Last year, The Gift of Giving Back collected more than 278,000 lbs of food and this year, hopes to exceed that amount and collect more than 305,000 lbs.

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Pedestrian struck by train - declared deceased at the scene

News 100 blackBy Staff

November 4, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

A life was lost last night when at approximately 9:35 p.m. Halton Regional Police received a report that a pedestrian had been struck by a train. The location was reported to be in the area of Burloak Dr. and North Service Rd., in the City of Burlington.

Emergency services personnel responded to the scene and located a deceased person on the train tracks.

Via rail train - olderThe Collision Reconstruction Unit attended and determined that the individual had been struck by an eastbound VIA train.

All eastbound and westbound train traffic had been halted for approximately two hours for the investigation.

The VIA train involved was later released from the scene.

Foul play is not suspected.

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Regional police work with Border Services nab imported heroin - two charged held for a bail hearing.

Crime 100By Staff

November 3rd, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton Regional Police partnered with the Canadian Border Services and intercepted a shipment of heroin they believe was headed for the streets of Halton.

On November 2, 2015, the Halton Regional Police Drug, Gun & Gang Unit concluded an investigation related to the importation of heroin into Canada, more specifically, into Halton.

Heroin Uganda Nov 3-15

Heroin seized by the Regional police at a post box service outlet in the Region – check the weight.

In October 2015, the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted a package into the country containing heroin which originated from Uganda. The package was destined for a private mailbox at a retail shipping store in the Town of Oakville. The Canada Border Services Agency notified the Halton Police who began monitoring the package.

On November 2, 2015, two Brampton men, Jordan JONES and Rogan THOMAS, attended the Oakville retail shipping store and retrieved the package. Both men were arrested and a search warrant was executed at Jordan JONES’ residence resulting in the seizure of electronic devices.

Accused:
Rohan THOMAS, 19 years from Brampton has been charged with:

Importing heroin
Trafficking heroin
Uttering a forged document
Use a counterfeit mark

Jordan JONES, 27 years from Brampton has been charged with:

Importing heroin
Possession for the purpose of trafficking heroin

Both men were held in custody pending a bail hearing schedule for November 3, 2015, at the Milton courthouse.
Anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact the Drug, Gun and Gang Unit at 905 825-4747 ext 8732 or anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call 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).

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Ward Councillor suggests the development blight in the east end of the city might be coming to an end - hope for the Lakeside plaza?

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

November 3, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

There is apparently some development movement in the east end of the city – Lakeside Plaza is said to be breathing and not dead; it was described as a “blight”by the ward councillor.

Transit - Paul sharman

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman

SKYWAY-WITH-SHOPPERS-SIGN

Lakeside Plaza in east end Burlington – might be getting a major refurbishment. Public being asked what they would like to see.

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman told Council that after years of work the city is now talking to the owner of the property who, according to Sharman, is now interested in working with the city. He said they now “wished to develop” the area and come up with something “empathetic” to the community.

A number of years ago Burlington city council said it was very interested in working with the property owner but were not able to communicate with them.

Sharman is understood to have gone to the company’s office in Toronto but couldn’t get past the receptionist – an unusual experience for Sharman.

The Burlington Economic Development Corporation was heavily involved in getting the owners of the property to the table.

An architect has been working on very early preliminary drawings and the people trying hard to make something happen in the east end are going to meet with the public and perhaps do a show and tell.
There is a small single pad arena behind the plaza, buses turn around at the plaza and there is a large park as well.

The Burloak Park is yards away – which Sharman sees as the opportunity to create a stronger sense of place and community.

The public is going to be asked what it would like to see. Councillor Sharman expects a lot of people to show up which is why he has had to choose a location outside the ward for the public meeting which will take place Tuesday, November 24th at the Bateman High School cafeteria from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

The question will be, said Sharman, what would the public like to see? The Gazette will follow this development carefully.

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CineStarz showtimes for Week of Friday, November 06, 2015 through Thursday, November 12, 2015

Cinestarz logoCiné-Starz Upper Canada Place, Burlington, ON
Burlington, ON L7R 4B6

 

Week of Friday, November 06, 2015 through Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Last Witch Hunter (14A)
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 3:15, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:15, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20

Crimson Peak (14A)
Fri – Sun: 1:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40

Pan (PG)
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 1:00, 3:05, 5:10
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 5:10

Sicario (14A)
Fri & Sat: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Sun: 1:00, 3:00, 5:10, 7:30, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40

Everest (PG)
Fri & Sat: 1:00, 7:15, 9:40
Sun: 7:25, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:00, 7:10, 9:40

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (PG)
Fri & Sat: 7:15, 9:30
Sun: 7:15, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 7:15, 9:30

War Room ()
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40
Mon – Thu: 3:10, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40

Minions (G)
Fri & Sat: 11:10 AM, 1:15, 3:15
Sun: 11:10 AM, 1:15, 3:45

Inside Out (G)
Fri – Sun: 11:00 AM, 1:00

A Walk in the Woods (14A)
Fri & Sat: 11:00 AM, 3:10, 5:10
Sun: 11:00 AM, 3:10, 5:30
Mon – Thu: 1:00, 3:10, 5:10

CineStarz - popcorn

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Giving back gets a number attached to it: 1 million lbs of food collected by young Burlington hockey players and donated to families in need.

News 100 redBy Staff

November 2nd, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

On Tuesday, November 3rd and Wednesday, November 4th, more than 2,000 young hockey athletes and students will come together at Nelson High School to turn over all of the food they have collected from the Burlington community for The 10th Annual Gift of Giving Back Food Drive — the largest food drive of its kind in Canada.

It is an amazing event and one that to a large degree defines the city.

Gift of Giving back logo - 10thCelebrating its 10th Anniversary, the annual Fall community food drive supports, educates and empowers thousands of young male and female hockey athletes and high school students to compassionately give back to their community.

Baracudas - Burlington - girlsThese are young men and women who are being taught to give back to the community they have grown up in and been educated. The community that is one of the safest in the country and offers opportunity for personal growth to our youth at every socio economic level.

These are young people that play hard and enjoy the life they live – some may not appreciate how fortunate enough they are – but the leadership that created The Gift of Giving Back Food Drive deserves credit for making it happen. They of course won’t hear of any credit going to them – they will tell you that it is the kids that make it happen.

Eagles - BurlingtonNelson LordsThe Burlington Eagles; The Burlington Girls Hockey Club (Barracudas); Burlington Cougars; and Nelson Lords.

The food collected by more than 85 male and female youth hockey teams from: The Burlington Eagles; The Burlington Girls Hockey Club (Barracudas); Burlington Cougars; and Nelson Lords.

Cougars - BurlingtonSince its inception, more than 1 million lbs of food has been donated to families in need. That is the accumulative donation of $2.5 million. Last year, The Gift of Giving Back collected more than 278,000 lbs of food and this year, hopes to exceed that amount and collect more than 305,000 lbs.

How does it happen – see for yourself – Click here.

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Citizen is perplexed; Council member misleads and Mayor gives a whole new meaning to meaningful response

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

November 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The Mayor blows off a constituent – publicly, and the most proactive member of city council disappoints – all over a development project that city council has said they don’t want to see built and which planning staff advised council to reject.

The ability to manage the file got taken out of the city’s hand when it failed to give the developer a decision within the prescribed time line. .
The matter is now before the Ontario Municipal Board where the city case looks shaky to many

Why is this happening?

Muir making a point

Active whenever development issues are being discussed publicly – Tom Muir wants to know how and why the city failed to vote as a Council on a development application for a project at the intersection of Martha Street and Lakeshore Road

For reasons that no one has been able to sensibly explain to Tom Muir, the citizen who fist asked the question – why did the city fail to vote on the ADI Development project proposed for the north west corner of the Martha Street Lakeshore Road intersection within the 180 day deadline mandated by the Planning Act?

Muir put together a time line that makes it clear the Planning department report was ready in plenty of time for both the Standing Committee to debate and send a recommendation to Council and for council to vote on.

Marianne Meed Ward was just a citizen when this picture was taken - now she is on the other side of the podium, sitting as a Council member. Should make for greay political theatre when the Medicca One zoning matter comes before committee.

Marianne Meed Ward was just a citizen when this picture was taken – now she is on the other side of the podium, sitting as a Council member. As a citien delegating frequently she was vocal and persistent. Some feel she dropped the ball on the ADI Development in her ward.

Meed Ward in her responses to Tom Muir wanders all over the place – she even suggests at one point that failing to vote on the application was no big deal and that it would not harm the city’s case now that the matter is at the Ontario Municipal Board.

And she wants to be Mayor? Yikes.

What is difficult to understand is this – why is it so hard for the Mayor to come out with a formal detailed response to the questions Muir asks? They are important questions.

Mayor has yet to hold a formal media conference this term of office – and if memory serves us correctly he did just the one during his first term of office. The last one done in the previous term of office had to do with the pier and at that time the Mayor had then city manager Jeff Fielding answer the questions.

This Mayor doesn’t perform well in public/media sessions.

Does this city know how to deal with controversial development applications and if they don’t what can citizens do about that – other than vote them all out of office in 2018.

Muir wrote Meed Ward because the project was to be built in her ward and, to some degree, because she has a reputation for getting answers to questions and tends to fight for her people.

MeedWard

Usually always on top of every issue in her ward and frequently on top of issues in other wards – much to the chagrin of other council members.

Meed Ward was in a very serious automobile accident in June that left he with a concussion that was not immediately treated. Her recovery has taken longer than even she expected.

wefr

“Meaningful response” seems to have a different meaning for the Mayor of Burlington.

But we cannot hang this one on the council member – this is a city issue – which happens to be taking place in her ward – the responsibility belongs to council which is led by the Mayor.

We are in the awkward position of having retired the Planner who managed the file and is therefore not available for questioning. And, we found ourselves with the committee that heard the debate being chaired by the city solicitor acting as Interim city manager at the time.

We keep shooting ourselves in the foot and stumbling around like a bunch of rural rubes who don’t know any better.

When political leaders fail to inform their public – rumour, innuendo and all kinds of conspiracy crap comes to the surface.

Was the decision not to have Council vote deliberate so the issue would go to the OMB and the city could blame them for approving a building that many think is high and adds too much density to the area?

Was not voting a slick way to up our intensification numbers – and blame it on the OMB as well?

The city deserves better.

Related news article

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Citizen finds the meaningful response from the Mayor a little on the disappointing side - and feels he still doesn't have an answer to questions everyone agrees are important.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

November 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The doggedly going after Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor for answers to questions on why the city did not manage to vote on the development application ADI Development made to put up a 28 storey structure at the corner of Martha Street and Lakeshore Road before the 180 days the city had to approve or turn down the project continues.

ADI Nautique sign

The differences of opinion and the different interpretations as to just what is a city council vote for or against a project is centered on the ADI Development project planned for the intersection of Martha Street and LAkeshore Road.

Tom Muir, an Aldershot resident found that he couldn’t follow the time line that was being put out by the city and the ward 2 Councillor and wrote Meed Ward asking her to explain why the city failed to vote on the development application before the 180 day time period the city had to decide on the ADI Development application.

Meed Ward had put some information on her web site but it was confusing.

Muir’s first note was a simple six line request – there was no response.

Muir wrote Meed Ward because he thought her to be a very proactive Councillor who stayed on top of the developments in her ward. He followed up with a second note and copied city manager James Ridge and the Mayor.

Muir had asked “be informed about how the decision was arrived at to allow the 180 day period, mandated by legislation, to elapse before the Council vote was made?”

“I would like an explanation of how the staff report on this project did not make it to Council within the 180 days”, he asked

Muir said that to the best of his knowledge no one has ever been told why city council did not get to vote as a Council on the staff report that had been prepared and approved at the Development and Infrastructure Standing Committee level.

Muir added saying “I would like to know the line of responsibility for this failure that allowed ADI a free pass to the OMB where they now do not have to argue an appeal on a reasoned planning argument. Because the city did not officially vote as a city council against the development ADI is able to argue that the city took no action within the 180 day time frame required under the Planning Act.

“I am asking you this question as the Ward Councillor, but also copying the Mayor and the City Manager as they are the Chief Executives of Council and Staff respectively.

Meed Ward responded:
Thanks for your inquiry and my apologies for the delay in responding. You raise a number of very important and thoughtful points, and these required time to provide an equally thoughtful reply. I trust you will not read anything into the delay other than it took some time to prepare. I acknowledge that it would have been helpful for me to simply acknowledge initial receipt of the email when I got it, and let you know I was working on a reply – I will do that in future so you know I am working on a reply and that it will take some time. My apology for not doing that in this case – I’m sure it would have helped.

Meed Ward at kick off

All smiles during her campaign for a second term on Council – Marianne Meed Ward asked her constituents to give her their trust.

As this is now a legal matter before the Ontario Municipal Board, I will attempt to give as full a reply to the issues without jeopardizing our case at the OMB and while maintaining confidentiality of any legal matters. The questions you have asked raise important issues of principle and I will attempt to speak to them at that level.

You ask why the 180 day time elapsed, allowing the developer to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board for a “non-decision” within the legislated time frame. Based on the information I have received, and documented in the time line on my website, this file simply took longer than 180 days to process because of the complexity of the project and the number of agencies that needed to provide feedback. That often occurs with more complex files. We have dealt with several files at recent Development & Infrastructure Committee meetings that have gone beyond 180 days, and developers on these projects have been prepared to work with the city so long as they are assured the file is moving forward and being processed.
The timeline I provided in an earlier article helps to tell the story of the amount of work required on this particular application and that staff worked diligently throughout the process to complete the report in a timely fashion. The staff report had been prepared and the committee was four days away from a vote when the appeal was launched. Typically, an appeal is launched for non-decision when the city is dragging its feet on processing an application. That wasn’t the case here.

Nevertheless, I believe it is a worthwhile question of principle to ask in general: why isn’t every Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning application processed within 180 days and what would it take to make that happen? We know that most applications we will see in Burlington are infill, versus greenfield (having run out of large greenfield areas for redevelopment). We also know that these applications by nature are more complex and take more time to review. So we must ask: what changes would we need to make at City Hall to ensure we can nevertheless even process these more complex applications – all of them – within the timeframe? It is a good question; you and other residents are raising it; and I have asked this of staff internally and we will continue to discuss this over coming weeks and months until we have some suggestions going forward. In my view, if the timeline is there we need to do what we can to meet it, and we need a better understanding of what it will take on these more complex files to achieve that outcome. I am committed to doing what it takes to achieve that outcome going forward.

You have also raised the question of whether the appeal for non-decision within 180 days impacts our position at the Ontario Municipal Board. A non-decision within 180 days is one route to the OMB; the other is disagreement with the decision by council on an application. It is worth noting that the staff report recommending refusal of this particular file was available before the 180 days elapsed.

The developer knew staff were not in support of the project. So the question is: does it make a difference whether a file is appealed for non-decision within 180 days or because the project has not been supported by staff and ultimately council? It’s a good question and one that is being asked on behalf of residents by myself and council. I will continue to investigate this.

However, at the end of the day, the OMB makes its decision based on the planning merits of the application more so than by which route the file ended up at the OMB, whether it was because the 180 days elapsed or because of disagreement with the decision. The planning merits or lack thereof are primary matters for consideration. The city will present our case, outlined very well in the staff report, that the project does not meet the criteria for good planning. Those are the matters that will be considered at the OMB in rendering a decision.

Some residents have asked: does the fact that committee and council voted on the project after it was appealed have an impact on our position at the Ontario Municipal Board? The unanimous vote at committee, upheld by council, to support staff and refuse the project will be part of the information forwarded to the OMB when it is deliberating. So the voice of the residents, via your elected representatives, will be heard and will be part of the information presented at the board.

Muir didn’t like the response he got and called Meed Ward to account with the following;

Muir making a point

Tom Muir, a persistent critic of developments that stretch the zoning and Official Plan wanted to know how the city managed to miss an deadline that resulted in a development going to the Ontario Municipal Board. His review of the time line suggested there was more than enough time for staff to produce a report – which they did. The bureaucrats couldn’t seem to get it onto agendas in time to be voted on. Muir wants to know why?

“To cut to the quick, I must say that, sadly, you did not meaningfully answer my September 16 and October 8 requests to be informed about how the decision was arrived at to allow the 180 day period, mandated by legislation as default grounds for OMB appeal, to elapse before the Council vote was able to be made on the staff recommendation report on this project.

“As part of this request, I also asked a number of questions concerning the administrative management staff motivations and thinking that led to this decision. These questions were also not answered, and in fact, were never addressed.

“Instead, your message is a narrative of excuses, rationalizations, and blame-shifting that does not fit the facts contained in the record of city proceedings and timeline in this matter. You also wrote several extended digressions, that collectively muddle, and side-step, the direct point of my inquiry.

“I acknowledge that to some extent you are, as you say, basing your remarks on information you have received from others, and documented in the time line on your website, but there is no attribution on this, and of course, you are responsible for your choice of words. Whatever, I would be careful who you listen to in the future. They may be more interested in self than in you.

“The timeline you document in your March 31 website newsletter, commented Muir is not complete.
“Recall that the prescribed time frame or timeline of 180 days started on September 24, 2014, and elapsed on March 24, 2015.

“Over this entire timeline there were a number of public meetings, staff reports and correspondence available for people to examine. There is no evidence to suggest the planning staff were not in control of the processing timeline, or that they found the file too complex to process in time.
In fact, the ADI project was generally opposed by the public and Council – the Mayor had made it clear he was not on for the project. The staff report was a thorough, fair, and strong planning based recommendation to refuse the application. There are no apparent complicating factors to make the file too complex or unwieldy to process on time, as you imply it was.

“There is also no reason to expect that the refusal recommendation would lead ADI to be prepared to work with the city beyond the prescribed timeline, as you uncritically, and therefore misleadingly, state other developers might do if their application is moving forward.

“I can’t imagine this happening in the face of a known refusal, and the staff record shows that ADI had no intention of negotiating changes. So you certainly can’t shift blame for the failure to meet the timeline to ADI for doing what they did, as you appear to.

“I find your stated insinuation, that despite working diligently, staff were unable to overcome unspecified factors of complexity and time slippage, as you claim, and were only able to prepare the staff report four days before the Committee meeting date to be incorrect, misleading, and totally unfair to the staff working on the file. They cannot defend themselves or set the record straight.

“In fact, the timeline indicates that the staff recommendation report was presented to the then Director of Planning and Building, Bruce Krushelnicki, on March 2, which is 22 days before the 180 day timeline elapsed.

“The staff recommendation report was made public and sent to the Development and Infrastructure Committee on March 13. This means that the staff recommendation report was in Mr. Krushelnicki’s hands for 11 days.

“One has to ask why this 11 days was needed if the planning staff process for the 180 day timeline was considered, as you claim, to be behind time, and if the responsible planning management staff was actually respecting the timeline. Did Mr. Krushelnicki really need 11 days to decide to support his staff, and where is the record of that decision process?

ADI project - rendering from LAkeshore

All the fuss and kafuffle is over a tall building on a small lot that stretches the zoning from an acceptable eight storeys to a requested 28

“There is no apparent explanation of this seemingly excessive use of time, given the situation, and its use as an excuse for the failure to meet the deadline of March 24.

“What is also inexplicable is that the staff recommendation report was scheduled to be presented to the D&I Committee on March 30, and to Council on April 20, which puts it outside the 180 day deadline of March 24th. Absolutely too late in the circumstances, and guaranteed to facilitate an ADI appeal to the OMB.

“Even more inexplicable is that there was already a scheduled Council meeting for March 23, one day before the 180 day timeline elapsed. The opportunity for a Council vote on the proposal was squandered with nary a mention.

“Despite all this, four supposedly responsible senior managers ( Bruce Krushelnicki, Director of Planning (now retired and the senior executive overseeing the work of the Ontario Municipal Board); Blake Hurley, Assistant City Solicitor; Scott Stewart, General Manager of Development and Infrastructure; and Nancy Shea Nicol, Interim City Manager at the time and Director of Legal Services), who would have known all these facts especially the expiry of the 180 days on March 24, and the already scheduled Council meeting on March 23.

“In effect, this decision left the back door open for ADI to appeal on the easiest of grounds – that Council had not made a decision within the 180 day mandated time period. The will of the public, and the staff recommendation report, were dead on arrival at Council – this seems to have been done on purpose.

“What were these managers thinking or not thinking? Is this a deliberate action, taken regardless of the consequences for the city and public trust, or just stupid non-thinking?

“My experience in this matter has not been given what I consider to be respect for me, or for the public’s right to be informed with honest and truthful information, and meaningful answers to questions posed.

“I asked serious questions about matters with substantial financial and development implications for the city and residents, and have not received honest and truthful direct answers deserving of respect. Most of what you have said in our correspondence serves to divert attention from the questions, and to prevent understanding of what happened, with a selective set of remarks and excuses that reshape the discussion away from the central issues I raised.

“And while you claim to invite dialogue and debate, you say your response is complete and you have nothing more to add here except by repeating yourself. It’s like you are finishing the job of sweeping things under the rug, and then shutting the lights out on the matter.

“What it looks like is that the city, and senior management (the responsible participants named, earning together about $1 million a year), can do what they want but don’t tell anybody, and they don’t have to account for, or explain, anything about their decisions and actions, or the consequences. They seem to be above having to be answerable, and you look to support this.

ADI aerial photo red line marking Bridgewater site

The orange box is where the planned ADI project would bebuilt – the red marker is where a 22 storey condominium, a seven story condominium and an eight storey hotel are to be built – ground will be broken early in the New Year.

“Or is it worse, a case of creative bungling that sabotages the city interest and control over the rational planning of development within the existing Official Plan and policy prescribed framework? This situation could do a lot of damage to the aspirations of city residents to develop according to a plan and process they have chosen.

“How can we trust the legal department to present the city case at the OMB when they participated in this unbelievable muddle – headedness?

“They took the city’s legal right to decide on this development proposal and refuse the application, and gave it away to ADI, and someone from the OMB to decide.

“Is this what the public is supposed to trust and have confidence in as proper, credible administrative implementation of the rules, regulations, and laws?

“Tell us please, how this decision to kill the staff refusal recommendation serves the public and city interest? I want these managers called to account for how the interests of the city and residents are better served by what they have done in this case?

“These points are what most of the other questions in my October 8 reminder message were asking. The responsible staff managers need to be called to account for what they did.

‘In all of this there is a role for the members of council, but particularly yourself, the Ward 2 Councillor, who would know, or be expected to know, all about what I have described here.

‘You knew about the March 24 expiry date of the 180 day prescribed timeframe, and that the scheduled Committee meeting, and particularly the required Council meeting, where the staff recommendation report was on the agenda.

“And yet you remained silent, and went along with what was happening, and what eventually did happen. Why did you remain silent? Did someone advise you to do this, or did you just drop the ball?

“‘You are even musing that maybe the killing of the city will on this development, and the forced OMB hearing, are not such bad things. This is bordering on delusion.

Muir closes with the comment that “We are on a very slippery slope, poised to lose control of development and our Official Plan to speculators.
The debate on the failure of city council to vote on the development application has gone on for some time with two citizens; John and Tom Muir, leading the discussion.

John, a retired engineer, who lives in ward 3 has lived in Burlington for 60 of his 62 years, is proud of the city that his family has called home for three generations, chooses to be anonymous. The Gazette has talked to John – he is real.

He got into the debate with these cogent points with which he refutes several points Meed Ward makes:
“If council had taken the initiative to vote within the 180 days, they would retained their decision making and have shown support for the community input.”

“By voting within the 180 day timeframe, council would have retained the decision making for the city and possibly had the appeal dismissed.”

“We have no guarantee that this appeal would have been filed or if ADI would have the grounds necessary to satisfy the OMB to grant one”
John added: “I believe this is where the city legal team should take over, helping to clarify some of the possibilities during your review.”

John closed his comments to Meed Ward with: “There are many disturbing issues and questions that have come forward as a result of this file, your review is a start.”

The simplest and obvious way to avoid such possible questions and inferences is for the city and participants to explain their decisions and actions, as I initially asked. However, in the present situation, nobody is talking, the stakes are high, and the ADI sales promotion, public relations, and propaganda mill is getting in full swing. So what are people to think? We are not stupid.

I hope you are not suggesting that we the public – in order to be “respectful” – avoid hard questions of trust, transparency and accountability because they are, to quote you, distractions from important issues worth discussing and debating?

October 28th Meed Ward responded with: “Happy to meet to discuss further and clear this up. It seems clear email correspondence is adding more confusion and concern because of how writings are interpreted.

Muir took initially took a pass on the offer to discuss the concern any further with Meed Ward. He was still waiting for a “meaningful answer” from the Mayor.

Meed Ward did say:

Even more important staff will provide further clarity on what, if any, impact it has on our standing at the Ontario Municipal Board that an application arrived at the OMB for exceeding the 180 days, or arrived at the OMB for disagreement with the decision. Our understanding has been that it has little, if any, impact on the outcome of a decision how an application gets there. Nevertheless, I’ve asked for more clarity on that.

I invite dialogue and debate within the community and welcome differences of perspective; that makes us stronger and deepens each of our understanding of important issues. I have always requested that this dialogue be respectful, not make personal attacks or assume negative or ulterior motives of any of the participants. Your communications were not respectful of the participants in this matter, which is unfortunate because it distracts from important issues worth discussing and debating.

John comments that: “We will have a glimpse in December and a complete story in March or April, it will make fascinating reading.

Meanwhile the ADI people continue to actively market the property and Tom Muir continues to wait for the WORDS promised by the Mayor on October 8th.

The time line that Muir put together:

The time line for the ADI project began on September 24, 2014, and elapsed on March 24, 2015.

Over timeline there are a number of public meetings, and staff reports and correspondence available to examine and there is no evidence that the working planning staff were not in control of the processing timeline, or found the file too complex to process in time.

The staff report was a thorough, fair, and strong planning based recommendation to refuse the application. There are no apparent complicating factors to make the file too complex or unwieldy to process on time, as you imply it was.

The timeline indicates that the staff recommendation report was presented to the then Director of Planning and Building, Bruce Krushelnicki, on March 2, which is 22 days before the 180 day timeline elapsed.

The staff recommendation report was made public and sent to the Development and Infrastructure Committee on March 13. This means that the staff recommendation report was in Mr. Krushelnicki’s hands for 11 days.

There is no apparent explanation of this seeming excessive use of time, given the situation, and its use as an excuse for the failure to meet the deadline of March 24.

What is also inexplicable is that the staff recommendation report was scheduled to be presented to the D&I Committee on March 30, and to Council on April 20.

On October 29th Councillor Meed Ward published a piece in her Ward Newsletter in which she attempts to convince her constituents that city council did indeed vote against the ADI project.

Council did no such thing – what Council did do was accept the amended report from the Development and Infrastructure (D&I) committee that met on March 30th.

Meed Ward in her Newsletter said: “The recommendation from D&I to endorse staff’s recommendation to refuse the proposed development went to the April 20 council meeting. Council voted to uphold that recommendation as part of the motion to affirm the recommendations from all standing committees.

To have standing as a decision, city Council had to actually vote on the question. They did not do so – to suggest that they did is a slight of hand usually seen by gamblers who want to pull a fast one.

Is there a fast one being pulled?

ADI storefront

Sales office for the Adi Development at the corner of Brant and Pine. The project is being heavily promoted with bonuses and benefits for the real estate agents who deliver clients.

It is hard to tell – why this Council cannot just admit that they screwed up and while they are at it explain why the report was in the hands of the Planning Director and not on its way to the Development & Infrastructure Standing Committee where it would be debated and sent along to city council where a vote that has legal standing would be made.

As for that promise made by the Mayor to Tom Muir on October 8th when he wrote

In an email to ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward and copied to Tom Muir on October 31st, the Mayor said:

“Thanks Marianne for addressing all of Tom’s questions.”

Mayor and chair

Mayor fails to deliver on his “meaningful response” to a citizen who questions why city council failed to vote on a major project within the legislated time frame – resulting in the project going to the OMB.

The Mayor basically washed his hands of the matter – so much for his understanding of what a “meaningful response” is – the public still doesn’t know why city council didn’t vote on one of the most controversial development applications to come before it in some time before the expiry of the 180 day deadline that everyone knew about.

Something doesn’t smell right.

 

Opinion: Salt with Pepper

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By registration only family flue shot appointments available at the Regional office in Oakville.

News 100 redBy Staff

November 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

The best way to protect young children from getting infected with influenza (flu) is for all family members to receive the seasonal flu immunization. To make it easier for families with young children to receive the flu shot, the Halton Region Health Department is hosting two appointment-based family flu clinics for families with young children aged six months through five years of age who are most vulnerable to the virus.

This is the first year Halton Region has offered appointment-based flu clinics. Families can register for their 15-minute appointments at halton.ca/flu or by dialing 311.

flu-shot child

It doesn’t always happen this easily – does it?

“We know that sometimes it can be challenging for families with young children to attend a drop-in clinic, so this year we’re offering two appointment-only flu clinics to meet the needs of Halton’s young families,” said Halton Region’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Meghani.

“These new clinics will give young families more opportunities to get the vaccine as pharmacists are unable to immunize children under five. By making it easier for families with young children to receive their influenza immunizations, we’re not only working towards achieving the best possible health and well-being for children, but also for the entire community.”

The two appointment only family flu clinics are located at the Halton Regional Centre at 1151 Bronte Road in Oakville, from 3:00 to 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 and Tuesday, December 15, 2015 and are in addition to other flu clinics being offered by the Halton Region Health Department.

To register for an appointment at one of the family flu clinics or to learn about Halton’s 12 drop-in flu clinics, please visit halton.ca/flu or dial 311.
This is a really good idea but the clinics have to be closer to the people who pay the tax bills – at the very least in schools during the late afternoon or evenings.
It is easier to just go to a local pharmacy where they will give you your flu shot at no expense – I didn’t have to wait more than the time it took to roll up my sleeve.

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The Platters and the Ink Spots - on the stage of the Performing Arts Centre this Friday - one show only.

eventspink 100x100By Pepper Parr

November 2, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

If you are of a certain age – there is a piece of entertainment coming to town that you might want to take in.
Remember the Platters? And the Ink Spots? Of course you do – well they are going to be in town on the 6th of November for a single show at the Performing Arts Centre – 8:00 pm

Platters coverThe Platters were one of the top vocal groups of the ‘50s scene, achieving success with a crooning, middle-of-the-road style that put a soulful coat of uptown polish on pop-oriented, harmony-rich material.

Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre of Rock n Roll. As one of the first ‘black’ groups to be targeted towards a predominantly ‘white’ youth audience in the US, they toured the world as international ambassadors of musical goodwill.

That vibe continues as their music lives on in such legendary titles as “Only You”, “The Great Pretender”, “The Magic Touch”, “My Prayer”, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, “With This Ring”, “Earth Angel” and “Twilight Time”.

How long has it been since we’ve heard those songs? Heavy metal and whatever they call the other stuff just doesn’t cut it the way the Platters did.

Expect to hear these and many more that have become indelibly ingrained in the hearts of a planet.

Ink SpotsThe Ink Spots gained international fame from the ‘30s through the ‘50s. Their unique musical style made them the godfathers of rhythm and blues, rock n roll and doo-wop. Their wide acceptance made them superstars of their time with more than 20 Top 10 Hits including “If I Didn’t Care”, “My Prayer”, “Java Jive”, “I Don’t Want to Set The World On Fire”, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You)”, “I’m Making Believe”, “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall”, “Prisoner Of Love” and “To Each His Own”. The Original Ink Spots (Bill Kenny, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua and Hoppy Jones) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

If you are of that certain age – take the Missus out for the evening – you might even want to take one of the grandchildren if they are well into their teens so they can get a taste of what the great music was like.

The two groups who come out of Vancouver are part of the playbill former Performing Arts Centre Executive Director Brian McCurdy included in the program Susanne Haines now oversees while she works towards developing the program for the 2016 – 2017 season.

Not to be missed – we don’t hear groups like these two all that often. There are still some good seats left

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Skips bail on a driving while impaired charge - police would like to find Donald Ray McGill

Crime 100By Staff

October 30th, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

There are numerous people who continue to evade the police and the court system and continue to live out in our communities while having a warrant for their arrest in place.

Every Friday, for the past 28 weeks, the Burlington Offender Management Unit shares information on a wanted person in hopes that the public can assist in locating the individual.

In this edition of Fugitive Friday is searching for Donald Ray McGILL, 53 years old of, St Thomas ON.

FF28

Donald Ray McGILL, 53 years old of, St Thomas ON.

In April 2014, the accused was observed by officers speeding and driving erratically around the City of Burlington.

The accused was arrested and subsequently provided two samples of breath which registered a fail

He was charged with Driving while Impaired and Over 80 mgs of Alcohol

The accused was released and was scheduled to re-attend court in September 2015 which he failed to do and warrants were issued for his arrest.

He is wanted by Halton Regional Police for:

Driving while Impaired
Driving with more than 80 mgs of alcohol
Fail to Re-Attend Court

McGILL is described as 5’11”, 165lbs, blue eyes and greying blonde hair. McGILL has tattoos of a “dagger” on his upper left arm and “Heaven’s Gate” on his left forearm. McGILL is known to frequent the areas of Burlington, Oakville, St Thomas and the surrounding areas.

The police share “Fugitive Friday” information on their website and via social media through Twitter @HRPSBurl and @HaltonPolice.

Anyone who may have witnessed this person or has information that would assist investigators in locating him are encouraged to contact D/C Bulbrook – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Offender Management Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2346 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).

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Who paid for the pizza? Public money did - your money. Do we have labour peace in the educational system?

Rivers 100x100By Ray Rivers

October 31st, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Something doesn’t smell right.

An astounded public has discovered that the provincial government has been giving grants to some teacher unions, over $2 million this year. The province is apparently forking out the money to facilitate province-wide negotiations. But no one will miss the irony of their government claiming these pay-outs are being made to improve efficiency.

Negotiatons table

They were province wide negotiations – and someone had to pick up the tab – the government did it with your money.

A successfully negotiated labour contract concludes when both parties are convinced the other one got the better deal – a win-win, but feeling like a lose-lose. But when the employer (provincial government) is giving the employees’ bargaining agents money, the outcome is a little more lopsided – a double win for the union and another lose for the tax payer.

At a minimum, this has to be a conflict of interest, for both sides, but particularly from the employees’ perspective. Can one really trust that their union is working for them if it is taking money from the guys across the table? At least two unions have refused the money for that very reason.

Sands and Wynne

Do you think they will figure it out – one of these two woman asked the other?

Since this first broke, the government appears to be caught off guard, shifting its stance by the minute. First they claimed this was normal practice and that no detailed accounting for the money was necessary. Now, it appears that this year’s money hasn’t been doled out and will only be paid on proof of receipts.

But the elephant in the room is why the relatively affluent unions can’t pay their own way. And to add another complication, the latest word is that these payouts may not be made in the future. So why were they needed before, or at all?

Already, some skeptics are questioning whether this is payback for the last election, in which the unions, presumably helped the Liberals win by authoring anti-Hudak advertising. That scenario should be unthinkable – what we might see somewhere else – but not in civilized Ontario. So the sooner the Premier can effectively deal with this issue, the better.

Sands Liz

Ontario Minister of Education; big spender.

Stuff happens, after all. Some well-meaning bureaucrat got the union folks to agree to province-wide negotiations, providing they were compensated for their extra travel costs, hotels, taxis, pizza… And then this minion convinced a busy minister to sign on to the deal – and presto – another crisis is born.

What kind of professional trade union would accept money from the other side? We know Toronto is an expensive city, but are the teachers’ unions so hard up that they can’t afford to travel to the big smoke? These are the unions, with thousands of members sharing in one of the most successful pension plans anywhere, right.

With the election of the Trudeau Liberal government in Ottawa, Premier Wynne is perfectly positioned to help deliver some key programs, from improving our pensions to building critical transportation infrastructure in the GTA. The last thing the government needs is a distraction from that business.

It is early in the Wynne electoral term and this relatively small issue may blow over, given our historically short political memories. But then voters have a habit of eventually changing political parties, even in Alberta. One need only to recall how public perceptions about strong unions and well-compensated teachers played into the hands of Mike Harris, and the chaos that ensued after his election two decades ago.

Rivers-direct-into-camera1-173x300Ray 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 where he ran as a Liberal against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.

Background links:

Unions Accountability       Labour Peace      Union Threats      Ontario Teachers Pensions

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Public school board posts policy documents on its web site - not that easy to find - Gazette provides instructions.

News 100 redBy Walter Byj

October 29, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

In an effort to be as transparent as possible with their decision making, the Halton District School Board posts their policies, procedures and by-laws on their website so that they are visible to the public.

HDSB sign with flagWhen there are updates or changes to the policies, the board will post the revised policies for a minimum of 25 days period for public comment on any upcoming changes.

In many cases, the number of comments has been to a minimum. Is this an indication of policies that are so well thought out that additional changes are not necessary or is the website not user friendly thus inhibiting public input?

There are currently three policies and procedures under review on the website awaiting public input. Following these steps will lead you to the site. The three policies are: Director’s Performance Review, Policy Development and Review and Trustees Code Conduct

To find the reports:

Go to hdsa.ca
Click on the link Boardroom and Trustees
Under Resources, click on Policies and Procedures under Review.

 

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It will be the Mother of all photo ops - can the Mayor get to them all?

News 100 blueBy Staff

October 29, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

This was clearly the Mother of all photo ops.

As part of the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Burlington Community Launch – Chalk It Up event Thursday, October 29, 2015 the beavers in the Parks and Recreation department have designed a challenge designed to create and adapt healthy behaviours for children aged zero to 12 years through healthy eating and physical activity.

Beard - hoola hoope - run jump play

Tax dollars at work – all part of a program that is designed to get the under 12 set out to run, jump and play

The first theme of the challenge is “Run. Jump. Play. Every Day.” This theme encourages physical activity through active play, sports, active transportation and structured activities. Chalk It Up events will be taking place at YMCA after school programs and at city recreation centres from Thursday, Oct. 29 until Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.

The Burlington YMCA After School Care program is participating in the Chalk It Up event as are four school sites after school on Thursday, Oct. 29:

Central Public School, 638 Brant St.
Sir Ernest MacMillan Public School, 1350 Headon Rd.
St. Mark Elementary School, 2145 Upper Middle Rd.
Tom Thomson Public School,2171 Prospect St.

Not to be outdone city facilities are also participating in the Community Launch, including:

Goldring + Tina 4 run jump play

Mayor Rick Goldring gets an approving glance form a four year old during the kick off of the Run Jump Play initiative the province has put $1.1 million into.

Aldershot Pool, 50 Fairwood Pl. W.
Angela Coughlan Pool, 2425 Upper Middle Rd.
Brant Hills Community Centre, 2255 Brant St.
Centennial Pool, 5151 New St.
Haber Recreation Centre, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
The Burlington Music Centre, 2311 New St.
Student Theatre, 2131 Prospect St.
Tansley Woods Community Centre, 1996 Itabashi Way

What the Gazette really wants to know is – will the Mayor find a way to be at ever one of the locations?

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