 By Staff
April 2, 2105
BURLINGTON, ON
The nomination closure date for Burlington’s Best Awards has been extended one week, now closing April 14, 2015. That is not a good sign.
There are a number of people and organizations that did incredible work during the August flood that deserve recognition.
There has been some fine work done by the Seniors’ community.
Have these awards fallen out of favour?
“There has been a lot of interest and talk of the awards but so far there has been very few nominations actually submitted,” said Mary Kay Aird, Chair, Burlington’s Best Committee. “The submission form only takes about 15 minutes to complete and it is quite easy.”
Visit www.burlington.ca/best to nominate someone deserving of civic recognition for their hard work, compassion and dedication. Nomination forms can be completed online at www.burlington.ca/best or by picking up a nomination form at the clerks department at City Hall, 426 Brant St.
There are seven categories of Burlington’s Best:
• Citizen of the year
A person whose volunteer activity has made a significant and sustained contribution to the vibrancy and wellbeing of the Burlington community.
• Junior Citizen of the year
A high school student, 18 years or younger who has made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
• Senior Citizen of the year
A person, 55 years or older who has advocated on behalf of seniors and/or made a significant contribution to the Burlington community.
• Environmental Award
An individual or group that improved and/or protects Burlington’s environment.
• Arts Person of the Year
An individual who has contributed to the arts in Burlington as an artist, patron or advocate including but not limited to, visual arts, media arts, musical arts, performing arts and literary arts.
• Community Service Award
An individual or group whose volunteer activity has contributed to the betterment of the Burlington community.
• Heritage Award
An individual who has demonstrated a commitment to the preservation of Burlington’s heritage, and has volunteered their time in an effort to support the preservation of Burlington’s heritage.
Related article:
Are the BEST awards transparent enough?
 By Ray Rivers
April 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Canada’s former General, Rick Hillier, has struck out at those MP’s who didn’t show up to vote for ‘Harper’s War’ – the resolution extending Canadian bombing of ISIS into Syria. Hillier was the guy who oversaw Canada’s most active role in Afghanistan, so he should know about the costs of war and the value of war’s benefits.
And Harper’s War, like the one his government inherited in Afghanistan, has nothing to do with self-defence, despite our PM’s protestations to the contrary. Although there are potentially all kinds of enemies out there in the shadows, only a fool would believe that ISIS poses an imminent military threat to Canada. We are half a world away. How can they bomb us without an air force or invade us without a navy?
 Canada’s former General, Rick Hillier, has struck out at those MP’s who didn’t show up to vote for ‘Harper’s War’ ISIS is a consequence of GW Bush’s extrajudicial invasion of Iraq in 2003. Yes, that was the war which Mr. Harper believed we needed to also fight. Bush’s people won the war but lost the peace. Or more accurately, they won the battles and lost the war – since peace was never an outcome.
Defeated, demobilized and shut out, Saddam’s political and military organization, the Baathist Sunni party, re-grouped and re-engineered themselves as ISIS, then went to work taking back what Bush had taken away. History shows us how it gets more complicated, in that part of the world, with each new wave of outside intervention. I mean, just ask the Libyans, whom we helped liberate from Gaddafi with our CF-18s, how much they are enjoying their freedom.
Of course ISIS is nasty group of people and I wouldn’t want them as my neighbours – but they’re not. And some of their neighbours are almost as evil as they are. For example, Syria’s dictator Assad has murdered over two hundred thousand of his people, some with chemical weapons. And Iraq’s Shias have done their fair share of slaughtering their Sunni brethren.
ISIS seems to be killing everybody. Iran and the Kurds are fighting ISIS. And once this skirmish is over, Iran and Turkey will be gunning for the Kurds who have long sought their own national state in Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey, with the largest land army in the area, has refused to fight ISIS unless the US completely obliterates Syria’s Assad.
Syria, supported by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, is also fighting ISIS and other rebel groups, including al Qaeda and the ones supported by the Americans. The Americans are bombing in Iraq, as we are, but also in Syria, where we are going. But at least the Americans have apparently got some deal, brokered by Russia or Iran, granting them immunity from counter-attack by Assad’s still intact forces, though we haven’t
 ISIS seems to be killing everybody Jordan is also bombing in Iraq and its neighbour and former enemy, Israel, has offered to help should ISIS invade the kingdom. Egypt has gone from dictatorship to Islamic quasi-democracy and back to military quasi-dictatorship, and has been bombing its neighbour, rebel-dominated Libya. Iranian backed rebels have taken over Yemen and are now being bombed by the Saudis, who are in the process of creating a twenty-plus nation pan-Arab army, with America’s blessing.
Israelis may remember, without fondness, the last pan-Arab army, which nearly drove it into the ground during the 1973 Yom Kippur war. We should always be careful what we wish for. And what about Hamas and those west-bank Palestinians, besieged by wave after wave of invading Israeli settlements, and who now know for sure that Israel will never agree to a two-state solution?
 Prime Minister Harper speaking in the |House of Commons during the debate of the the resolution extending Canadian bombing of ISIS into Syria Into this hornets’ nest, Mr. Harper’s government has decided to extend our ISIS bombing mission into Syria, with no military objectives, no timelines and no authority to invade a sovereign state (Syria). Syria used to be a real country in every sense of the word. Even besieged by civil war as it is today, it still has enough powerful high-tech Russian supplied anti-aircraft weapons to take down one, or all, of our CF-18s, if they wanted to.
It’s crazier than a flea circus, and nobody should know that better than former military chief of staff, Hillier. But he is the guy who said “we’re not the public service of Canada. We’re not just another department. We are the Canadian Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people.” Over a hundred of our soldiers died in battle during his watch and our reward is the chaos that still characterizes Afghanistan today.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington 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:
Syria’s Moral Maze Injured Soldiers ISIS Alliance Infighting Shaky Ground
Saddam’s Old Party Pan-Arab Army General Hillier’s Anger Rick Hillier
 By Pepper Parr
April 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was the third in a series of transit meetings – this time it was the riders who were going to do the talking – and talk they did. They packed the Centennial room at the library and told each other what worked and what didn’t work for them.
 Six breakout groups took part in animated discussions on what works and what doesn’t work. What was not surprising was the number of positive things the public had to say about the men and women who drive the buses – and the number of drivers who give students a break when the coins in their pockets don’t equal; the demand of the fare box.
However – it wasn’t all good news.
 Joey Edwardth, on the left isn’t sure the Mayor has it figured out. A newly converted transit advocate Mayor Goldring may have an issue he can run with. Routes don’t work the way they need to work and the service is spotty much of the time.
When Bfast (Burlington friends for accessible transit) put out a challenge to the members of city council to use the bus one day a week for a month – Mayor Goldring took up the challenge and made a media event out of it. He has continued to use the bus since that kick off date for him
Councillor Marianne Meed Ward used the bus to get to a Regional Council meeting – she won’t be doing that again – close to three hours and $12+ in costs for what she says can be done in a fifteen minute car ride.
So far none of the other Councillors have taken the challenge – don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
James Smith, a consistent transit advocate said he wasn’t able to take transit to get to the meeting: “the bus schedule wouldn’t allow me to do the errands I needed to do and get to the meeting on time”.
 The public meeting for transit users broke out into different groups – these are the seniors talking about what the transit system does for them. Smith was originally concerned that the politicians would take over the meeting – that didn’t prove to be the case.
Councillors Sharman, Craven, Meed Ward and the Mayor were on hand. The Mayor has clearly gotten the message – he has a new understanding of just what the transit problems are.
Meed Ward isn’t that much of a transit user – but then she lives and works in the downtown core and can walk to almost everything she is involved in.
Councillor Sharman didn’t look like he was enjoying himself and Councillor Craven just worked the crowd.
There was no one from Burlington Transit at the event. “They were invited”: said James Smith.
 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward explains a point to one of the breakout groups. The much touted Presto pass can’t apparently be easily loaded – students found this a problem. The city had to spend a considerable amount of money to get the Presto pass service operational – it wasn’t an option and it wasn’t cheap.
The Burlington Transit system has 51 buses covering 31 routes. Coming up with a schedule that meets the needs of the ridership has been a challenge and synchronizing the bus schedule with the GO schedule has been close to impossible. GO trains come and go more frequently than the buses.
 A transit rider making a point. One of the Bfast organizers pointed out that there is apparently no one at the transit office with a long, deep background in transit – and it shows.
Signage was also described as a problem; especially when moving from the bus service to the GO service.
The biggest problem transit has is a lack of resources. The provincial gas tax rebate is devoted to transit in most municipalities – no so in Burlington. This city has a very significant infrastructure deficit and council has decided to repair the roads rather than improve the bus service.
And some of the roads are in close to desperate need of repair. The city’s namesake street – Burlington – is a mess. There are more people living on that street who drive cars and can complain than there are bus riders. And this city council knows how to listen to as few as a dozen complaints to make a change in a policy. They are certainly responsive – they need to work on being more responsible.
There is an announcement coming in May apparently on more changes to the schedule and in the not too distant future Burlington Transit will begin installing some technology that will provide them with real time information on how many people get on a bus and where they get off. It will cost millions – transit believes that with this data they can develop a schedule that will meet the needs of the bus riders.
 Everyone got an opportunity to tell their transit story – they weren’t all bad. Doug Brown, a retired engineer has most of the information the city needs in filing cabinets in his basement. A tireless transit advocate, Brown surprisingly is not used or appreciated by many members of council or the people who run the transit system.
Brown does have a style that is unique to him – but he knows what he is talking about. He is a resource that should be tapped into.
 Doug Brown, chair of Bfast, wants to see a bus schedule with routes that work for people and not the current bus route set up in place. It doesn’t work claims Brown. The city no longer has a Transit Advisory committee. The one they did have consisted of had some people who should not have been at the table; they were uninformed, rude and interested only in advancing their personal agendas. There were a few that served well – just not enough of them.
Bfast is an organization the city might think of outsourcing the advisory role to – they have a wealth of talented, informed and committed people that can help make a difference.
 Councillor Craven on the right explains a point to a transit users meeting participant while James Smith on the right looks on. There should be a group of people who use the bus daily serving as a sounding board for the people who run the transit service.
Transit apparently doesn’t have a Twitter account – it does have a web site that more than does the job; it’s better than the city’s web site.
Burlington is reported to spend 50% less than comparable municipalities – and it shows.
 Bfast will produce a report once they’ve gone through the comments that came from the several breakout groups that were created. Expected to be completed by the end of April, it will be a solid, fact based report.
Getting the response it needs from city council is not a given – however, the Mayor now has a better understanding of the needs and the problem.
Can he swing the minds of his colleagues? Don’t expect to see Councillors Sharman, Lancaster Taylor or Dennison becoming transit advocates – their focus is on repairing the roads.
The public is going to have to howl louder to get what the city needs. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.
 By James Smith
April 1, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Monday afternoon, Justin Trudeau, John Tory, and Rob Ford, joined Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, Mississauga Mayor Bonny Crombie, Ontario Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn, Bob Rae, the Pakistani high commissioner to Canada, many other dignitaries, and hundreds of mourners at the ISNA Canada Mosque to bid farewell to Max Kahn. An Oakville city councillor and Federal Liberal Candidate for the riding of Oakville / North Burlington , Max Kahn died suddenly on Saturday.
 Max Kahn: remembered and celebrated Max touched the lives of very many people not only in Oakville and Burlington, but given the notable people in attendance, Max also meant a great deal to many people in the GTA and the nation’s capital. Max, was the kind of person who made one feel at ease the moment you met him, one got a sense meeting Max that his infectious smile was focused directly upon you. If you didn’t know Max was in politics, you’d come away from meeting him thinking he should be in politics. Not for the negative cliche ideas many have about politicians, but just the opposite, Max’s sincerity and integrity were apparent immediately and one felt this was a person who can get things accomplished.
While Max could be partizan and competitive, he was never negative, petty or divisive. Max’s Integrity made him the kind of person we need more of in politics, a sincere advocate dedicated to public service. Max’s family have suffered a sudden and great loss of a father, brother, and son. Oakville, Burlington, and Canada have lost a true caring public servant, quality politicians like Max don’t come along all that often. All of us, touched even a little by Max’s passing should reflect on his joy of life and remember and be inspired by his example of tireless dedication to our community.
 By Staff
March 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Police investigators have now obtained surveillance images of the a lone male suspect armed with a black handgun who entered the East Way Bake Shop located at 4047 New Street in Burlington.
 Robbery suspect looks directly into the camera – someone knows him. The suspect demanded money while pointing the handgun at an employee who then turned over an undisclosed amount of money.
The male suspect fled the store and was last seen running westbound along the plaza.
The suspect is described as a white male in his 30’s, 5’9″ to 5’10” tall, wearing blue jeans, blue plaid shirt, red toque and black sunglasses.
 Robbery suspect wanders around the bakery shop. Anyone with information that will assist investigators identify him are asked to call Det. Phil Vandenbeukel – Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Robbery Team at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2343 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 Staff
March 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Easter bunny may do the hip- pity hop thing – that’s not what the Halton Regional police are going to be doing – and they will not be handing out Easter eggs either – although the idea if Chief Tanner handing out coloured eggs does have some public relations appeal.
During the Easter long weekend the Halton Regional Police Service will be participating in the Spring 2015 Provincial Seatbelt Campaign
The campaign will run from Friday, the 3rd of April 2015 to Monday, the 6th of April 2015.
 Expect almost every vehicle in the Halton Regional Police Service fleet to be out on the road over the Easter weekend. If you’re seen without a seat belt – $240 ticket. Road users should be prepared to experience much higher volumes of traffic over the weekend, making it a particularly important weekend for all drivers, passengers and young children to be properly restrained, regardless of the distance to be traveled or anticipated road time.
“A properly worn seat-belt greatly increases the chances of surviving a motor vehicle collision.”
Front line officers, Community Mobilization Unit and District Response Team members will be engaged in targeted enforcement for this important provincial campaign.
A reminder to drivers should you choose not to buckle up you could face a fine of $240 and 2 demerit points, which will remain on your driving record for two years from the date of the offence.
If you happen to be a little short on points you might get a call from your insurance agent as well.
By Pepper Parr
March 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It does happen – mistakes are made.
You fix them, you apologize and you hope it is the last mistake the staff member makes.
Earlier this week we posted the list of who gets paid more than $100,000 provided by the province’
A staff member started early in the day, downloaded the data and began to format it.
She downloaded the 2013 data by mistake.
It was an observant reader who saw the error.
We scrambled and corrected the mistake.
The corrected numbers can be found here.
This was embarrassing.
 By Pepper Parr
March 31, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
City council last night had to go into a closed session before they could actually get their Standing Committee going.
They had been advised that the ADI Development group had taken the application to build a 28 storey building at the intersection of Lakeshore Road and Martha that had been hotly contested to the Ontario Municipal Board because the city had failed to do anything with their application.
Councilor Paul Sharman, chair of the committee, told the audience that a summary of a planning report would be read but the city would not be voting on the matter.
Many thought the situation was unbelievable – “was this deliberate” one woman asked as she was leaving the Council chamber.
 By Pepper Parr
March 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It could not have come at a better time.
A particularly good idea was close being on the ropes. It had its life extended for a short period of time when Councillor Taylor, after begging for ten minutes, got his colleagues to give Community Development Halton (CDH) $10,000 to carry them until a grant they were really hoping to get came through.
The grant did come through and now CDH can move forward with some of the best neighbourhood development work this city has seen in some time
 Joey Edwardth, guides and direct Community Development Halton – pulled in a grant that will keep a program alive for three more years. They call the project that is now funded North BurLINKton Community Group, they create spaces where young people can meet, make new friends, experience a sense of belonging, and gain leadership skills.
High school aged youth in north Burlington will secure and animate these spaces with the support of adult allies
These are people who could be and often are at risk of falling between the cracks. They come from poorer neighbourhoods; few if any of them are members of the Burlington Teen Tour Band or one of the hockey leagues – that kind of money doesn’t float around the kitchen table in these homes.
The province came through with a Youth Opportunities Fund grant of $181,700 over 30 months to create neighbourhood spaces.
This project will address the objectives of the Youth Opportunities Fund that expects youth to form and maintain healthy, close relationships and to engage their communities.
 Risha Burke, the Community Development Halton that is in the field working with community and helping stitch together the pieces that make it all come together. The program allows CDH to put staff into the community to facilitate, direct guide, advise and support as they develop the social structures that keep them focused and – to be blunt about it – keep them out of trouble.
The North BurLINKton Community is an emerging grass roots group that has shown it can, with some mentoring and guidance create inclusive and friendly neighbourhoods that help people connect and increase their sense of belonging.
This initiative comes at a perfect time, allowing the North BurLINKton Community Group to move forward building on the neighbourhood development work of community members and partners over the past few years. The initiative will be supported by adults but lead by youth, tapping into the potential of extraordinary young people in north Burlington neighbourhoods.
The city supported the program for two years – providing about $85,000 each year but decided this wasn’t the kind of community work they should be doing.
The programs and policies they developed have worked there way into other parts of the city and, with some leadership will be passed along to other municipalities in the Region.
These are dollars spent that return real value to the city. The program now has funding for the next three years – time enough to prove that it works and figure out how to fund it properly.
Community development in Burlington tends to fall between that space at city hall and the space at the Regional office – social issues are seen as the responsibility of the Region but they tend to define social a little differently than more progressive community leaders.
 Regional Councillors showing you the new 2 gallon blue boxes. Region tends to focus on waste, water and roads – people don’t rank very high on their agenda. Water and sewage pipes. Waste collection and road repair tends to occupy the minds of those at the regional level; what mind space is left gets used on determining what development charges should be.
People get lost at the higher level of local government.
By Pepper Parr
March 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a meeting that had the city planners meeting with some of the people in Aldershot to talk about possible changes that might take place along Plains Road between Cooke and Filmandale.
The city is in the process of doing the required five year review of its Official Plan. In Burlington the process is to go out into the community put some ideas up on a screen explain how the Official Plan is reviewed and then listen to questions and ideas from the community.
City planner Bruce Krushelnicki started the meeting by explaining there would be no decisions; no announcements and no surprises. We are here to listen to you.
 This is the part of Plains Road the community gathered to talk about – but it is just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Citizens will have to figure out where their personal interests fit into the puzzle. The purpose was to talk about land use changes – to talk about how land use changes should be made or whether there should be any changes in the Official Plan and the zoning.
“People want to get the best possible value for their property when they sell and at the same time protect the character of their community” said Councillor Craven who took an active part in the meeting.
Guidelines for development along Plains Road were set out in 2006 which led to policy changes in the Official Plan. The official plan gets reviewed every five years and looks forward for 20 years.
The province set out an intensification strategy in 2008 and Burlington learned it was going to have to accommodate HOW MANY NEW PEOPLE
Burlington set out what they called intensification corridors to accommodate this growth – both residential and commercial– places where new growth or re-development would take place. Plains Road is on that map.
 There will be intensification and here is where is is going to be However, Plains Road isn’t a single stretch of land – it has been broken into segment for planning purposes. There are surprising differences between the segments.
The south side of the Cooke/Filmandale segment prohibits townhouses. Several in the audience wanted to know why.
The biggest issue for most was that there are no places to shop – there is just one bank.
The reason for the lack of retail choices is that the population isn’t large enough for retailers to come in.
Greg Woodruff, a candidate in the last municipal election said the small retail spaces that do exist are too small – “they don’t have delivery docks; they don’t have any venting if someone wanted to open up a small restaurant and there is no parking”.
The spaces are more suited to professional services and as one person said: People walking to see their tax accountant doesn’t create much in the way of foot traffic – which is what the people in Aldershot appear to want.
There are seniors who want the community to stay just as it has been for the many years they have lived in the community. The problem is that the younger families that will move into the community eventually, would not accept the small bungalows with small bathrooms. Families want more space.
Redevelopment is a good sign explained planner Krushelniki – the motels are for the most well past their best before date – Plains Road is no longer the road you take to get somewhere; it is the road that leads to a rich diversity of homes.
The homes south of Plains are protected – however when the New Horizon’s had a development proposal for the Plains Road and Falcon area one would have believed the end of the world was upon us – property owners were bellowing that once those four stories went up it wouldn’t be long before that kind of development crept south. That is not going to happen.
The Solid Gold entertainment operation made its way into the conversation – and the planner agreed that there will come a time in the not too distant future when that land will be put to a different use.
The development that is being thought through around the Aldershot GO station – they are calling these mobility hubs even through there is no such thing in the Planning Act or the city’s Official Plan. But they are very real in the minds of the planners and in the minds of those who are responsible for the economic development of the city.
While no one in Aldershot wants to see 30 story high rise buildings along Plains Road there was more than a muttering of approval for that kind of structure in the land adjacent to the 403 and on the west side of Waterdown Road.
 The black dotted box is what the residents of Aldershot were to be talking about at a recent community meeting. The elephant in the room was that large pink area – that is where very significant development will take place; perhaps as many as 2000 new residents and loads of traffic coming south on Waterdown. And a look at the map shown below one can easily see what the potential is for the part of Plains Road that is under study – it butts up against Waterdown Road and is a very short distance from the 403 and the Aldershot GO station.
Mention was made of a 775 townhouse development on lands between the GO station and Waterdown south of the 403; that may be the rumoured ADI Development Group’s plan for the property is is reported to have purchased from Paletta International.
There won’t be anything much above four floors along the part of Plains Road that is being studied. The planning department is aware of some land assembly that is taking place
Aldershot is a world of its own. It is a quiet community that doesn’t feel it has the amenities it needs – there is no beer store, no liquor store and they would like much more in the way of supermarkets
The planners and the ward Councillor explained that the world has changed and small supermarkets aren’t the way the food delivery system works anymore.
When there was an A&P supermarket in Aldershot it was closed because the market wasn’t big enough for them. “They weren’t pushed out” explained city planner Bruce Krushelnicki – “they came to the planning department and said they were going to close down and wanted to know what could be done with the property the store was on?”
Business makes decisions based on their own self-interests – people in Aldershot like the small town feel of their community – but without growth and a decent sized market – they don’t stay.
You will get a supermarket explained Councillor Craven when there is enough population to support a store with xxx square feet.
He might have added that there will be a beer store and a liquor store when there are enough people in the community to justify such operations.
 Council Craven wasn’t quite ready for the energy that emanated from Sandra Pupatllo when she was in town looking for possible candidates to run with her as Liberals when she was going after the leadership of the province. That drive fizzled but we don’t think Councillor Craven has ever been the same. Councillor Craven pointed out that Aldershot has had the slowest growth in the city – a mere 3-4 % each year.
Plains Road was once the road to Niagara Falls before it was a rural road with large productive farms on both sides.
Today it’s almost a road with a split personality. It is a backbone through the community that is trying to be a road that has a number of destinations.
The residents want the commercial concentration to be made up of places they can walk to with sidewalks that can accommodate patios.
The reality is that both Waterdown and King Road have been widened or are in the process of being widened – wider roads = more traffic that will end up on Plains Road – so much for becoming a quiet, pleasant neighbourhood, community road.
 The white oval is the part of Plains Road that the community was talking to the planners about – what did they want and what didn’t they want in that stretch of Plains Road. What wasn’t talked about was the development that is going to take place at the Waterdown – 403 intersection and the GO station. Big stuff. And of course – no mention of the Eagle |Heights development. There are developers with big plans for Aldershot and while it would be untrue to say the ward Councillor is in bed with them – he is certainly on the best of speaking terms
Rick Craven wants development in Aldershot – he realizes that in the not too distant future those quiet, peaceable people who have been his political base will be moving on – perhaps into one of the several retirement homes that have popped up in Aldershot.
 Rick Craven is a big booster for Aldershot – he fights for his constituents every chance he gets – there are some he doesn’t get along with and he’s not known for his warm fuzzy personality but he is effective. He is fully aware of the very significant development potential and he works hard to make it happen – he just doesn’t tell his constituents about the very real changes that are going to take place. What Craven does not appear to be doing is letting his constituents know that change – big changes are coming to town. And their lives will be different. Those people vote and right now he needs those votes.
 By Staff
Marcvh 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The city proudly announces that Dr. Ashley Worobec will be the Burlington community torchbearer for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay, presented by President’s Choice® and OLG.
 Dr. AshleyWorobec a Burlington chiropractor at the Burlington Sports and Spine Clinic, is an avid Crossfit practitioner at Crossfit Altitude in Burlington. The torch relay will visit Burlington on Friday, June 19, 2015 and will feature Dr. Worobec as the community torchbearer.
In December, residents were asked to help choose a local resident to carry the Pan Am flame on behalf of the city and voted on a short list of names selected by the committee.
The Burlington Pan Am Community Engagement Committee accepted applications and nominations until Dec. 14. To be considered, applicants or nominators submitted a photo and a letter of interest explaining the connection to Burlington and what being Burlington’s community torchbearer would mean to him or her. The finalist who received the most votes was Dr. Worobec.
Nominated by Marnie Post, Dr. Worobec is a Chiropractor at the Burlington Sports and Spine Clinic, an avid Crossfit practitioner at Crossfit Altitude in Burlington, and an avid runner, participating in numerous runs in and around the city. A mother of two young children, she is actively engaged in numerous community activities and blogs about her community, her practice, parenting and staying fit and healthy.
“Ashley Worobec will proudly carry the Pan Am flame as Burlington’s community torchbearer,” said Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring. “Burlington is excited to be a part of this historic journey, and we look forward to showcasing our community to the world.”
During the 41-day torch relay, each of the 3,000 torchbearers will complete, on average, a 200-metre relay segment. The torch will be carried by more than 60 modes of transportation and exceed 5,000 kilometres on the road and 15,000 kilometres by air.
“The torch is a unique symbol of the Pan Am Games and carries a powerful energy that will unite Canadians,” said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer, TO2015. “The torchbearers will proudly carry the flame through more than 130 communities, igniting the Pan Am spirit as they go.”
Featured on the torch are the United We Play! pictograms — colourful depictions of people in motion —symbolizing the assembly of athletes through the celebration of sport and culture. The aluminum torch stands 65 centimetres high and weighs 1.2 kilograms (or roughly the same weight as a baseball bat). With a burn time of 10 to 12 minutes, the flame can withstand winds of up to 70 kilometres per hour and is visible in all kinds of weather conditions.
By Staff
March 30, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
 City Hall will be closed on both Good Friday and Easter Monday, March 30, 2015
Good Friday – April 3 2015
Easter Monday – April 6, 2015
Halton Court Services in Burlington are also closed.
By Staff
March 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
REVISED:
THERE IS A PERSON ON OUR STAFF THAT WILL NOT BE GETTING A BONUS.
THE FIGURES ORIGINALLY POSTED WERE FOR 2013 – THE FIGURES BELOW ARE FOR 2014. WHEN WE GOOF, WE REALLY GOOF DON’T WE?
 $100,000 does bring out a smile. The first figure is the salary component, the second is funds paid for something other than salary that was defined as a taxable benefit.
The people shown in red are part of the Fire Department.
Council members don’t appear on the list because a large part of their income comes from the Region and that is a different list.
For some reason, none of the people at the Economic Development Corporation don`t appear on the list nor is the Librarian. No one from the Performing Arts Centre or the Burlington Art Gallery.
What is clear from this list is that public sector jobs pay very well.
The 2014 list is just a little shorter than the 2013 list.
ADCOCK ALAN Firefighter $102,031.26 $483.84
ALDHAM JUDY Field Services Supervisor $111,009.49 $2,185.06
ALLDRIDGE BRIAN Platoon Chief $125,971.19 $649.80
ANTONIOW PHIL Manager of Program Development, Budgets and Contracts $114,881.79 $636.11
AXIAK ROB Manager of Recreation Services $102,451.31 $562.56
BAKOS MICHAEL Captain $108,367.48 $570.96
BARANOWSKI DEREK Captain $102,812.05 $514.29
BARRY PHILIP Captain $108,850.00 $570.96
BATTAGLIA MARY Manager of Field Services $106,085.34 $1,248.03
BAVOTA ANTHONY Fire Chief $165,324.85 $2,974.19
BAYLOR MARK Captain $111,922.02 $570.96
BAYNTON STEVE T. Captain $111,754.92 $585.12
BAYSAN ERGUL Senior Traffic Signal Technician $100,847.25 $491.60
BEDINI CHRIS District Supervisor $110,226.37 $703.61
BENNETT RANDY Manager IT Infrastructure and Operations $117,482.38 $652.56
BERDAN MICHAEL Senior Transit Operations Supervisor $100,193.47 $458.04
BEVINGTON KIM Captain $103,733.66 $526.47
BIELSKI BIANCA Manager of Development Planning $136,058.28 $736.98
BIRCH CHARLES T. Captain $113,196.51 $585.12
BLACK JEFFREY Manager of Field Services $107,380.39 $3,169.47
BOYD LAURA Human Resource Manager $106,127.55 $595.79
BRILLON SYLVAIN Firefighter $100,768.89 $483.84
BURROWS TRACEY Manager of By Law and Administration $101,981.11 $11,207.00
CAUGHLIN DEBORAH Manager of Council Services $109,094.40 $587.86
CHOLEWKA CHRIS Captain $109,661.47 $570.96
CLARK CARY Manager of Development and Environmental Engineering $108,338.17 $592.77
COFFEY PETER Captain $109,134.34 $566.28
COULSON ANN MARIE Man Financial Planning & Taxation $131,771.98 $722.67
CRASS JOHN Manager of Traffic Services $106,951.19 $1,553.48
CRAVEN RICK Councillor $100,722.85 $562.10
DI PIETRO ITALO Manager of Infrastructure and Data Management $119,020.45 $655.90
DONATI DERRICK Firefighter $101,411.97 $495.00
DOWD TIMOTHY Captain $113,714.92 $585.12
DUNCAN JOHN Transit Manager $121,674.39 $680.72
DYKES RICHARD Firefighter $100,542.18 $509.16
EALES MARK Captain $107,463.41 $562.64
EICHENBAUM TOOMAS Director of Engineering $132,494.20 $511.91
EVANS FRANCES Manager Halton Court Administration $106,003.66 $580.83
FIELDING JEFF City Manager $163,343.09 $4,337.84
FORD JOAN Director of Finance $152,992.02 $845.42
FRYER E. TODD Firefighter $100,329.68 $509.16
GALEA KYLE Firefighter $100,919.65 $483.84
GILROY GERALD Firefighter $100,314.51 $485.36
GLENN CHRISTOPHER Director of Parks and Recreation $142,035.88 $758.76
GLOBE DARREN Captain $108,598.54 $570.96
GOLDRING PATRICK Mayor $170,025.95 $2,927.50
GRANO FRANCES Manager of Strategic Information Technology Service Delivery $101,898.44 $568.61
GRISON GREGORY J. Captain $111,754.92 $585.12
HAMILTON SCOTT Manager Design and Construction $116,702.59 $642.75
HAMMER CHAD Captain $105,795.32 $544.74
HAMMOND BILL Fire Training Supervisor $111,519.22 $567.96
HAYES DENNIS M. Platoon Chief $124,167.54 $649.80
HEBNER PETER B. Captain $113,567.52 $585.12
HURLEY BLAKE Assistant City Solicitor $133,679.42 $649.80
JAMES MICHAEL Fire Training Officer $101,861.64 $570.96
JARVIS DAWN Manager of Fire Communications & Admin $104,927.27 $575.94
JONES SHEILA City Auditor $129,085.03 $680.64
JONES STEPHEN Captain $106,570.42 $556.92
JURK ROBERT Senior Project Manager $105,669.95 $585.12
KELL DONNA Manager of Communications $114,981.30 $638.52
KELLOGG GAVIN Supervisor Golf Course $108,587.82 $552.16
KELLY JOHN Captain $110,066.14 $570.96
KOEVOETS MATT District Supervisor $118,371.00 $1,142.13
KRUSHELNICKI BRUCE Director Planning and Building $159,392.67 $891.60
KUBOTA ERIKA Assistant City Solicitor $134,953.30 $652.56
LANCASTER BLAIR Councillor $100,722.85 $562.10
LAPORTE N. JASON Captain $107,951.53 $570.96
LASELVA JOHN Supervisor Building Permits $104,601.68 $582.72
LEGG TRACIE Manager Business Services $101,413.14 $564.55
LONG MARK Captain $113,601.59 $585.12
MACDONALD GARY F. Captain $112,659.31 $585.12
MACKAY MICHAEL J. Captain $111,754.92 $585.12
MAGI ALLAN Executive Director of Corporate Strategic Initiatives $180,473.51 $982.32
MALE ROY E. Executive Director of Human Resources $180,372.37 $1,012.56
MARTIN CHRISTOPHER Captain $106,638.03 $556.92
MATHESON JAMIE Firefighter $100,887.23 $483.84
MCGUIRE CHRIS District Supervisor $108,192.88 $683.50
MEED WARD MARIANNE Councillor $100,722.85 $562.10
MEEHAN DAVID Firefighter $102,019.98 $510.10
MERCANTI CINDY Manager of Recreation Services $113,924.30 $473.50
MINAJI ROSALIND Coordinator Development Review $101,438.02 $568.14
MONTEITH ROSS A. Deputy Fire Chief $145,953.17 $1,372.72
MORGAN ANGELA City Clerk $143,711.02 $770.03
MYERS PETER R. Captain $111,754.93 $585.12
NICELIU KENNETH Firefighter $102,254.95 $509.16
NICHOLSON J. ALAN Captain $111,754.92 $585.12
O’REILLY SANDRA Controller and Manager of Financial Services $110,567.13 $604.47
PEACHEY ROBERT Manager Parks and Open Space $114,401.18 $633.57
PHILLIPS KIMBERLEY General Manager $185,505.87 $7,599.39
POLIZIANI MATTHEW Captain $107,805.24 $556.92
REID DAVID Fire Prevention Officer $101,295.09 $556.92
REILLY PETER Captain $111,754.91 $585.12
ROBERTSON CATHARINE Director of Roads and Parks Maintenance $149,458.02 $1,403.87
ROESCH GORD CHARLES Fire Training Officer $101,821.02 $542.88
SCHMIDT-SHOUKRI JASON Manager of Building Permit Services and Chief Building Official $133,681.16 $748.20
SHAHZAD ARIF Senior Environmental Engineer $102,105.76 $567.67
SHARMAN PAUL Councillor $100,722.85 $562.10
SHEA NICOL NANCY City Solicitor $172,124.38 $836.38
SHIELDS LISA Assistant City Solicitor $136,246.06 $651.90
SLACK CRAIG D. Platoon Chief $126,694.90 $649.80
SMITH CLINT Platoon Chief $125,523.38 $649.80
SMITH SIMON Firefighter $100,300.17 $495.00
SPICER MIKE Director of Transit $129,920.15 $721.53
STEIGINGA RON Manager of Realty Services $112,646.26 $619.76
STEVENS CRAIG Senior Project Manager $103,459.71 $568.88
STEWART SCOTT General Manager $227,077.25 $9,381.94
SWENOR CHRISTINE Director Information Technology Services $156,493.35 $876.68
TAGGART DAVID Manager Facility Assets $112,157.40 $462.71
THANDI JAZZ Manager Procurement Services $107,953.94 $592.99
VRAKELA STEVE Field Services Supervisor $105,436.15 $1,920.30
WEBER JEFF Deputy Fire Chief $116,019.23 $7,670.64
WHEATLEY RYAN Captain $110,028.42 $570.96
WIGNALL T. MARK Firefighter $101,647.73 $509.16
WINTAR JOSEPH Chief Fire Prevention Officer $110,961.56 $621.60
WOODS DOUGLAS S. Captain $113,128.08 $585.12
ZVANIGA BRUCE Director of Transportation Services $153,951.49 $787.56
By Staff
March 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Culture has taken on a deeper commitment from city council, due in large part from a delegation made by Trevor Copp, who asked city council why he had to travel to Toronto to ply his trade.
The Performing Arts Centre had opened and was going through a difficult phase but the public had become used to the place and had begun to understand that the city was going to have to continue to subsidize it forever.
In 2009 the federal government created and funded Culture Days which was to become a national network of cultural connections to provide Canadians with opportunities to participate in, and appreciate, all forms of art and culture.
 Different artists were able to take a tent during Culture Days last September and paint or sculpt of make pottery in Civic Square Through a three-day national celebration each September, hundreds of thousands of artists and cultural organizations in cities and towns come together and invite Canadians to discover their cultural spirit and passion.
This national initiative aims to raise the awareness, provide accessibility and encourage the participation and engagement of residents in the arts and cultural life of Burlington.
Burlington’s 2014 Culture Days was a resounding success due in large part to their being staff dedicated to managing the event.
The push from the cultural community and the creation of the No Vacancy event put new energy into culture at the street level.
The holding of the first No Vacancy event in 2013 at the Waterfront Hotel was what appears to be the beginning of the community creating its own events. No Vacancy is a private initiative that gets peanuts from the city.
The sixth annual Culture Days weekend will take place from Sept. 25 to 27, 2015.
A workshop will be held on Friday, April 24 at the Burlington Art Gallery for Culture Days event organizers to learn about resources available from the city and Culture Days Ontario. Space is limited and registration is required. RSVP to Adam Belovari, culture coordinator at adam.belovari@burlington.ca or 905-335-7600, ext. 7335.
Local creative organizations, venues, professionals and businesses are again invited to host events during the Culture Days to promote free, hands-on and interactive activities. The public is invited to participate in behind-the-scenes activities to see how artists; creators; historians; architects; curators; designers; and other creative people work and contribute to culture in Burlington.
 Trevor Copp talks with Angela Pap during the unveiling of the Spiral Stella at the Performing Arts Centre earlier in the week. Paparizo is now the manager of Arts and Cultural for the city. Paparizo, manager of arts and culture,
Angela Paparizo, manager of arts and culture expects to repeat the 2014 success in 2015, offering three days featuring different types of events, working closely with Doors Open, the Art Gallery of Burlington, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Burlington Libraries, Burlington Museums, Tourism Burlington and Burlington artists to make this happen.
This national initiative aims to raise the awareness, provide accessibility and encourage the participation and engagement of residents in the arts and cultural life of Burlington. For more information, or to participate in Culture Days, visit www.burlington.ca/culturedays or contact Angela Paparizo, manager of arts and culture, at angela.paparizo@burlington.ca or 905-335-7600, ext. 7352.
The Sound of Music kicks off the festival season for the city. Rib Fest follows, then the third year of the No Vacancy offering which will take place on Old Lakeshore Road this year and then the three Cultural days in late September.
The city came very close to having an ArtFest on Old Lakeshore Road as well but the “adamant refusal’ by three business owners on the Old Lakeshore Road put the boots to that opportunity. Council wanted the event – the event planner wanted to hold it in Spencer smith Park but they couldn’t get together on a date.
 It would have been a major arts event – drawing several thousand people to the city and to a part of town that has significant potential as a location. No one is saying who the tree commercial establishments that said no way to the idea – they felt their business would suffer. The effort to bring a large art sales event to the city by an experienced and proven promoter started back in October of 2014 – everyone was involved in the effort but three business people apparently would not budge so the planned 100 tents spread out along Old Lakeshore Road housing the wares of different arts won’t happen this year.
Emma’s Back Porch was so keen on the idea that they agreed to turn over their parking lot for the event. They had gone so far as to plan an Artists Feast for the occasion.
Expect this event to come back for another try.
By Staff
March 29, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette did not have a reporter at the public meeting last Thursday when the matter of coyotes roaming the parks and ravines of the city was the major issue.
A few days after the meeting we got the following from a resident:
I was walking my dog at 11:30 along the paved trail connecting Burloak to Appleby line. A large Coy wolf was walking along the trail on its own. Clearly was not afraid of me and my large black lab which seemed small compared to this animal. Did not expect this at this time of the day and clearly it was not afraid of us.
I warned a lone jogger who turned and decided to jog in the opposite direction. During the winter I came across a number of rabbits that were being fed on as well. There is a danger from these animals. Clearly the city needs to do something about this.
 A coyote sensing field mice beneath the snow prepares to pounce. Glenda Dodd, a Hager Street resident did attend the meeting at Central arena and sent in the following;
“I would like to make comment on the resounding applause I received from people in attendance. It was for my objection to the proposed bylaw and the fact it is a difficult bylaw to enforce. The stand I took was that Improper Garbage Disposal is what should be controlled. The fact I received such overwhelming response to my remarks is the reason for this e-mail and request that you pay heed to what the people said by their applause.
“I know surrounding areas have “no feeding bylaws” but what good are they if in the meeting it was acknowledged that coyotes are a problem everywhere because of urban expansion. Why have a bylaw if it is already proven to be ineffective in our surrounding cities.
“A number in attendance, because of their personal encounters are now fearful of using their back yards, parks or having evening walks with their dogs, they were looking for more response about what is being done to remove coyote population.
 Coyote den with pups. Dodd adds: “Across from my house in the wee hours, I have seen a coyote walk up our street past the apartment building through the parking lot to the Hydro right of way. According to people who walk dogs, there is a coyote den not far from my area (I’m assuming from their description that it could be somewhere around or past Grahams Lane). I have not walked the area to find it.
Because of this proximity I feel as familiar as anyone in the City to speak regarding Coyotes and the proposed by law. I strongly object to the proposed By-Law regarding feeding of animals.
“That is what they wanted, not a bylaw forbidding feeding. Whether there is a bylaw or not, if anyone suspects coyotes are being fed, a field observation would have to be made in order to apprehend whoever is doing and bylaw or not, if they really wanted to do such a thing would just become more evasive and discreet.
“I truly believe that instead of trying to redefine what a nuisance animal means the bylaw idea should be dropped altogether. Concentrate on something that can be enforced, like garbage and yard waste accumulation that houses mice and rats.
“We do not need a paint brush bylaw…Canada Geese and Seagulls are a specific problem then do what Midland did and enact a bylaw to prohibit the “Feeding of Canada Geese and Seagulls”
“As you admit, (Dodd is referring to either the Bylaw enforcement officer or the Mayor) it would be difficult to enforce such a bylaw, so why have it, to use in a worst case scenario, please. My comment was about not needing what was presented, that is what was approved via the applause I received. What the people wanted to know was what are you doing about the coyotes, they want them removed, not a nuisance feeding bylaw.
Ward 1 Councillor Rick Craven, in an email response to Dodd said: “There was no “resounding applause.”
“What I heard was that people want support for the coyote problem. A wildlife feeding bylaw is a reasonable next step.
 Councillor Craven will often dress for the occasion. In a previous public meeting he chose to wear his McMaster jacket. “Yes, it would be difficult to enforce such a bylaw, but it would probably only be done on an exception basis to deal with the worst case scenarios. i.e. the gentleman in Tyandaga who is feeding the Canada geese in Fairchild Park to the point of damaging the park grass and attracting rodents….upsetting his neighbours.”
Unfortunately, the draft bylaw that was proposed does not appear to be on the city’s web site. We will work at digging this out and continue the discussion.
 By Staff
March 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
They want you to figure out how the city web site works and discover the new features and enhancements of the city’s website, www.burlington.ca.
 Are these citizens of Burlington looking for information on the city’s web site or are they just stocking up on Easter eggs? Starting with the homepage, adventurers will discover several new features of the redesigned website such as news and alert subscriptions, the events calendar and service requests. Upon completion, residents will be asked to fill out a short survey for a chance to win a chocolate prize pack including a Parks and Recreation gift certificate.
“Residents have told us they prefer to do business with the city online,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “The new web enhancements and features make it easier to make service requests, stay informed and become involved.”
Another reason is – you usually can’t find or get through to who you want by telephone.
Let’s see how this on-line egg hunt works – The Gazette will try it and let you know how we do – you try it and let us know if you win a chocolate prize pack including a Parks and Recreation gift certificate. We wondering what is going to be in that gift certificate
The Egg-cellent adventure closes Thursday, April 9, 2015.
By Staff
March 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Police are urging Facebook users to be cautious when accepting new friend requests from persons they don’t know.
There have been several recent reports of Facebook users accepting friend requests from persons of the opposite gender. The new friend will then engage in on-line conversation with a goal of moving the conversation to a video chat using Skype.
Once on Skype, the new friend will engage the user in conversation of a sexual nature and ultimately have the user display themselves nude which the new friend records without the users’ knowledge. The recording will then be used to extort money from the Facebook user as the new friend will threaten to post it on all of the users friends’ accounts and on YouTube unless the user pays them a sum of money.
Anyone who has encountered this scenario is encouraged to report it to your local police AND the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone at 1-888-495-8501, fax at 1-888-654-9426 or online at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/english/reportit-howtoreportfraud.html
You can protect yourself by carefully screening new friend requests, especially ones from the opposite gender.
If you do accept new friends where the conversation turns to one of a sexual nature and you are asked to do a video chat, you are being set up to be extorted. Should this occur, you are encouraged cease all communication with that user, unfriend them and report the account to Facebook.
 By Ray Rivers
March 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Urban sprawl – it even sounds like a dirty word. Sprawl has gobbled up more potential farm and natural lands than any other form of development.
 Gas and land were cheap and it was the way people wanted top live. It will take several decades to unwind all this urban sprawl – perhaps Burlington could become a leader in the change. Because of the distances involved in servicing subdivisions and the inherent low population densities, sprawl is also the most costly form of development. And sprawl is dependent on the automobile as the primary (or sole) means of transportation, resulting in gridlock and the consequent lengthy commute times.
These downsides were recognized soon after this ‘California’ lifestyle became the dominant form of development in the fifties and sixties. But once adopted, going back was a tough call. There is so much more profit for developers in buying up cheap farm land and converting it to houses, than in expanding housing in existing built-up areas.
Back in the day, before immigration swelled our urban envelope, most of us hardly thought twice about the suite of problems associated with these ‘burbs’ popping out all around us. But Ontario’s Premier Bill Davis did. He, no doubt, had observed what had been happening to the US rust-belt cities, as suburban development swallowed up prime farm land and hollowed out the inner city core in the process, until nobody wanted to live downtown anymore.
So as early as the 70’s the Davis government sought to keep Ontario’s canvas painted more green than black. Putting an end to paving paradise and putting up more parking lots, as the folk singer Joni Mitchell had warned, was a timely ambition. So he undertook to create Ontario’s first greenbelt, setting out the Niagara Escarpment Commission to ensure protection from development.
 Bill Davis made decisions while he was Premier that made possible the protection of the environment that is being done now. And Davis didn’t stop there, he established the most advanced municipal planning system in North America. To help implement the system, he created new higher-tier regional governments to implement broad scale regional plans, which would permit stable and progressive development over a generation, while protecting farm and natural lands.
But it didn’t really work. The development industry is a powerful lobby and whether through their persistence at council meetings, campaign contributions for municipal candidates or sound arguments, they have been able to sway many development decisions in their favour – decisions that always involve more sprawl development.
And regional plans themselves became a catalyst for accelerated development. Once a land parcel was designated, developers pushed for early approvals in order to get their money out of the projects. And if that didn’t work there was always an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
The OMB is a quasi-judicial institution which is an anomaly in Canada. Composed of political appointees, this unaccountable body acts as both judge and jury, and frequently overrides the authority of our elected representatives, making a mockery of municipal democracy. The Canadian Senate comes to mind, except that the OMB has real power.
In the end Ontario, with its fancy planning system ended up with about as much urban sprawl as did the bordering US jurisdictions with their more basic laissez-faire systems of municipal planning. It turns out politics, not planning, was at the heart of the issue.
 The Greenbelt – in place as a boundary to protect natural space My Conservative friends would prefer to remember Dalton McGuinty for the unfortunate billion dollar gas plant fiasco of a few years ago. But history will record the creation of Ontario’s current Greenbelt as one of his greatest achievements. Following the visionary lead of Mr. Davis, three decades before him, this is the single most important instrument the province now has to hold back the forces of urban sprawl.
Of course, even this initiative could not quash those development plans already underway, such as the ones which have transformed Milton into the textbook case of what not to do. The recent orgy of development there has transformed the once quaint town such that it is now unrecognizable. And as anyone driving on the 401 will attest, this development has also made the roadways largely impassable.
Last week I attended a meeting in Milton, sponsored by the Friends of the Greenbelt. The topic was preserving prime agricultural land and the meeting was well attended by urban planners, farmers and other business people, keen on making their thoughts known.. Listed below are links to other sessions in which the public can have their say on the Greenbelt and its future in Ontario.
Whether you are a farmer concerned about city-folk moving next door and then complaining about your hog operation; a nature-lover craving more opportunity for environmental diversity; or a developer wanting to build more houses on a farm you have just purchased, this is your chance to have your say.
Of course I drove to the meeting, but I did take the backroads to avoid sitting on that parking lot we call the 401. And there you have it – this time using the automobile to fight against urban sprawl.
Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington 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:
Premier Davis
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference
Provincial Policy Statement
Greenbelt
The Greenbelt Review
Greenbelt Events
 By Staff
March 27, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
The sisters are excited about the upcoming Sp’egg’tacular Easter Event being held at Ireland House to support The Museums of Burlington.
Rocca Sisters & Associates sponsor the event as a thank you to our incredible clients and community for all the support you have shown us throughout the year.
WHEN: Sunday, March 29, 2015
TIME: 11am to 4pm
WHERE: Ireland House at Oakridge Farm – 2168 Guelph Line, Burlington
Enjoy a day full of Easter fun that will include an exciting Easter egg hunt with free goody bags for children of all ages from 11am – 2pm!
 Sp’egg’tacular Easter Event is a Rocca Sisters Real Estate sponsored event with the Museums of Burlington taking place at |Ireland House. Additional activities to enjoy include Princesses Elsa and Anna from Frozen greeting children until 1pm, visits with the Easter Bunny, Easter crafts, carnival style games, face painting, vendors and helium balloons plus a take-away from the Horticultural Society. There is also a fantastic silent auction for adults, a prize bazaar and free raffle for children, live entertainment and more!
Visit the Ireland House Homestead and imagine life as it was over 175 years ago. There will be baking demonstrations and sampling, natural egg dying, costumed historic interpreters, traditional artisan demonstrators, and tours of the house.
By Staff
March 26, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Brick Books, a London Ontario shop is celebrating 40 years of publication with an innovative ‘Celebration of Canadian Poetry’ for the entire year. Burlington artist Margaret Lindsay Holton has been profiled in ‘Week 13’ of the year long program. Dr. Carol Soucek King of California wrote the profile.
Canadian arts talent tends to get overlooked – our sports talent seldom fails to get star treatment – artists,playwrites, poets and actors seem to get forgotten. Dr.King, refers to Holton’s book “Bush Cord” as a “really a wonderful collection for ‘wordsmiths’
The book, which went into a second edition is described by King as “the most recent collection of poetry from Canadian artist, Margaret Lindsay Holton, clearly demonstrates Holton’s talents as a wordsmith, an art photographer and a true-blue Canadian spirit.
 Margaret Lindsay Holton – was the picture taken with a pin-hole camera? “In it, her deeply thoughtful and richly poetic evocations are accompanied by a striking selection of her own pinhole photographs. (Holton has, amongst other activities, exhibited her pinhole and photo-collage photography for over two decades.) The entire book unfolds cover to cover with the spacious airiness of the vast Canadian landscape. It is, thus, my honour to salute this relatively ‘unknown’ Canadian poet during this 40th anniversary year of Brick Books’ publications of new and established voices in Canadian poetry.
“Holton became my long-distance associate and friend two decades ago, when we started communicating between her studio in Southern Ontario and my residence in California. At that time, other outstanding international artists, knowing that I was compiling and writing Furniture: Architects’ and Designers’ Originals said I must see the work of a Toronto-based Canadian furniture designer, Margaret Lindsay Holton. I did not know her work then, but I soon discovered it. I was in absolute awe. A number of her finely crafted pieces – all visual poetry in wood so lustrous and charmingly turned that each one begs to be caressed — became an important focal point within the chapter on international bed design in my final book project.
“From the very beginning of our email exchanges, I soon realized that Holton was as equally creative with words. Then in 2002 her first book of poetry, ‘On Top of Mount Nemo’ was published by Acorn Press Canada of Ontario. A decade later, I read her last poetry collection, Bush Chord. Both are deeply moving, filled with rapture as well as precautionary tales. Both are so ‘her’.
To Holton, the soul of language, as much as photography, is light:
“In my pinhole photography,” explains Holton “light enters a tiny pinhole to create an atmospheric illuminated image on photographic paper. In poetry, a single word bounced between two can pinprick an ‘aha’ moment. Language, well used, is a form of light.”
Poetry and pinhole photography are, for Holton, highly engaging art forms that, she says, “allow me to interact, almost dance, beneath the full and brilliant bounty of sunlight and ‘word-light’. Both disciplines can enlighten, enhance and enlarge our everyday perceptions. We all can see anew.”
From the opening poem through to the last of Holton’s Bush Chord, the reader finds such re-envisioning of our daily life and experiences:
Bush Chord
pine poplar willow and punk wood
spit and spark
while bone hard elm birch apple and oak
hum harmonious
fine hard woods – good wood to burn
these wonder instruments pressure whistle
chattering, cheering, cackling
crackling within a hesitant cyclone of light
flickering flames
of sublime delight, warming slow, they give us life
parse this minor miracle of mega bio-physics
of holy fire drawn down
from primal sun
through leaves to rugged root shoots far flung
look here now
to this instant, brilliant burn
an intense unrehearsed liquid fire –
a sound symphony of sun struck lyres
complete and sacred
a rare but common gift
the honey musk smell of jumbled bush wood
burns deep into primal memory
(remember those crisp sun-filled fall days
of cutting, gathering, splitting, stacking,
carrying, piling, drying, and cursing
those back breaking loads?)
to get to this
this calm clear moment
listen
listen
to these bush chords
please
Holton has been a fixture in Burlington, a troublesome one in the minds of some. She seldom backs down from a point of view she has formed. In the past Holton has written for the Gazette -we hope she will return at some point.
One of her columns had her going up against an gas station owner who had filled the tank of her pick-up truck when all she had asked for was $20 worth of gas. You know who won that difference of opinion. Holton was quite comfortable with the suggestion the gas station owner made about him having someone suck the extra gas out of the tank.
If you make the mistake of telling Holton how much you liked the new City View Park – do step back – Holton has words for you about the “plastic grass” that has been installed.
Dr. King adds that she had “written some decades ago about the expertly crafted warmth, charm and wit that she brought into her award-winning furniture designs. These qualities are so deeply inherent in her Self that it should be expected that they would be cornerstones for everything else she does, especially those items produced by her writing hand.
 Margaret Lindsay Holton with one of her pin-hole cameras Other titles, and items, that she has created over a forty year period include: ten books, (with her second novel, The Gilded Beaver by Anonymous, winning the Hamilton Arts Council Best Fiction Award of 1999); a newly released musical CD, “Summer Haze”; her exquisitely drawn “Lindsay” ™ typeface circa 1980; an experimental 54-minute documentary “In the Eye of the Hunter” that she co-produced, co-directed and wrote in 1984-86; the fine furniture that she designed under her MLH Productions banner (now in many notable collections worldwide, including The Royal Ontario Museum) and, last but not least, her signature and eclectic ‘naive-surreal-folk-abstract’ oil paintings.
Holton may be obscure and a relative ‘unknown’ to some in the hip urban art matrix, but her literary and artistic output, to date, is very impressive when seen from this great distance.
It seems to me that her inherent qualities of warmth, charm and wit first manifested in the works she produced when she began her artistic career apprenticing with her father, the late cabinetmaker, Luther Janna Holton of Holton Fine Furniture, Hamilton, Ontario in 1984.
Under his tutelage, she discovered and developed her own unique sense of “form,” and “harmony.” These design disciplines are rooted in time-honoured traditions, yet expressed, in Holton’s unique way, very contemporarily, with a very personal flair. These qualities have served as repeated metaphors in her assorted artworks that she then designed and made through her own studio, MLH Productions.
 In recent years Margaret Lindsay Holton has turned to painting – she holds an annual sales exhibit of her work Today, Holton no longer designs or produces award-winning Canadian fine furniture. “In truth, the market was just too small for the calibre of work I was producing.” More’s the pity. Instead, she has shifted her focus to a more public display of her pinhole photographs, her written works and her signature paintings. Holton has exhibited widely in Canada and beyond, and she has won various jury awards and honors in those disciplines as well.
 A Margaret Lindsay Holton piece that was shown at a recent exhibit. In sum, Holton has a distinct philosophical perspective that, in essence, could only radiate from her location on the planet. Her perspective stems from a deeply felt devotion to the magnificence of Nature “in her own backyard” and to the effervescent wonders of Life in Nature’s sphere. She is often mythical in her outlook, as much as she is literal in her production. How quirky of her to call herself a ‘canajun’ in ‘Canadada’! She is acutely aware of her distinctness that both separates her and joins her deeply to the land of her birth.
There are a lot of miles left on the moccasins Holton wears – might be time for a retrospective on everything Holton has done. If we Canadians don’t celebrate our own – no one else will.
More information about Margaret Lindsay Holton.
Carol Soucek King, MFA, PhD, is author of twelve books on design. Her thirteenth book is Under the Bridges at Arroyo Del Rey: The Salon on the Spiritually Creative Life Its focus is the positive and uplifting thoughts that can provide substance to one’s own home, material and spiritual, and that are the purpose of the Salon she founded over nineteen years ago. Her website.
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