 By Pepper Parr
October 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The ward covers the eastern half of rural Burlington and tracts that run from Hwy 407 down to Upper Middle Road and includes the well-established communities of Millcroft and Headon. The newly created Alton community brought much more diversity into the ward and small pockets of development along the 407.
 There isn’t much in the way of industry in the ward; The Hanson Brick Works operates at Dundas Street, there are a lot of commercial operations but all are small in nature. Emery Developments decided to build two five storey towers attached to each other with a two storey atrium at Palladium Way. The intention of the developer is to build on speculation. They were confident enough that the market was there for their offering and expected some occupancy in late 2015.
 Staff recommended a Mixed Use plan but indicated that if council selects the all Employment option, staff are able to support this, but cannot support an All Residential option The Krpan Group project at Dundas and Tremaine is stuck at the OMB – residents have heard very little about this project which has a number of features and approaches to development that are worth paying attention to – but they don’t appear to have any traction in the mind of the Council member for the ward
There was to be a new court house for provincial offences in the war but that disappeared just as fast as it appeared when local opposition spring up without the ward Councillor knowing all that much about the plans.
There isn’t a ward council – that kind of citizen involvement doesn’t sit all that well with the Council member; it would mean sharing the power a member of Council has and attracting meaningful input from the community.
Millcroft and Headon are strong communities that with few problems. Snow removal, road repairs – the usual municipal services are what they ask for – just keep our taxes down.
Dundas Street is due for a very significant upgrade and a widening that will make it a much different road than it is today – it isn’t clear yet what kind of development it will attract. The Region expects to run busses along that road as part of an inter-city transit offering at some point. That is years away but the work needed to create an additional east west road has been made at the Regional level – so Dundas get upgraded
 Part of the massive gym set up in the Haber Recreation Centre The opening of the Hayden Recreational Centre, the Frank Hayden High School and a new branch of the library system created a community that pulled itself together very quickly and managed to produce three South Asian candidates for the ward seat.
Transit is not yet a significant issue – most of the seniors are at a point in their lives where they still drive their cars. The demographic of that cohort will shift significantly in the next ten years and the need for more in the way of community services geared to seniors and transit service that will let them get to different places in the city will become evident.
 The Air Park is both a problem and a significant opportunity but at this point any ideas that are being discussed come from the mind of Vince Rossi who has yet to provide anything in the way of a business. Rossi has been able to get away with dumping land fill without the required permits because no one, including Blair Lancaster, paid much attention – they bought the argument that the air park was federally regulated and no one asked any questions.
There is an opportunity to do something with the 200 acre property that fits in with an Air Park and the rural setting – no one has come up with anything yet. Not the Economic Development Corporation, not the Region, not the city – not even the people who live in the eastern half of rural Burlington.
Background links:
The ward Councillor: an assessment.
 By Pepper Parr
October 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette is doing profiles of each member of Council. They are based on four years of observations and interviews with most Council members. An overview of the ward they serve is linked to the profile.
Walter Byj, a free lance writer who contributes to the Gazette regularly, was to do a part of this article but he was unable to reach Councillor Lancaster to do an interview. Byj called on:
July 21st -sent e-mail to her assistant requesting an interview for the Burlington Gazette. Assistant Julie advised that Blair was out of office and that she would follow up next week.
August. 22nd- sent follow up request to assistant Julie. Got reply back on August 25th. stating she was on vacation last week and that she would advise Blair.
Sept. 4th.- sent e-mail to assistant stating that I assumed that Blair did not want to be interviewed.
Sept. 9- sent e-mail to Blair asking for an interview, have never heard back.
Getting an appointment with Blair Lancaster has never been easy. While media savvy Ms Lancaster often avoids media or gets others to do the avoiding for her.
 Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster thinking through the answer to a question. Tends to be cautious. The Gazette organized a debate of all ten candidates in ward six. We got an email from Brenda McKinley saying she was representing a candidate but did not want to say who and asked if there could be another moderator and if the questions asked of one candidate could be put to every candidate.
Ms McKinley said they did not want the publisher of the Gazette serving as moderator and suggested someone from the Chamber of Commerce. We declined the request. We later learned that Brenda McKinley, the person making the request, was Blair Lancaster’s sister. The sneakiness was seen on too many occasions.
One of our very first interactions with Blair Lancaster was during a break when the Strategic Plan was being developed back in 2010. While walking towards the table with the coffee urns Blair Lancaster asked if “there wasn’t something we could do about Marianne Meed Ward”. At that point in time council members were trying to get used to the Meed Ward style. We were never quite sure what Ms Lancaster wanted us to do.
Blair Lancaster led a large part of the public meeting at which the Niagara Greater Toronto Area (NGTA) highway was discussed at the Mainway Arena. It was a very large crowd and keeping the emotions in check was not a simple task. Lancaster showed that she could handle crowds that were at times unruly.
Lancaster was the first member of Council to declare a conflict of interest on a financial matter. The Downtown Core Vision was being discussed and Lancaster took the position that she had a commercial business and therefore stood to gain if the city did anything. She left her Council seat and sat in the public gallery. The Spa she owned was closed a few years later. There was no financial gain.
Several weeks later Councillor Dennison did the same thing – which shocked everyone at the media table.
 The Photo Op – Artist Alex Pentek on the left, displays a portion of the Orchid to Councillors Sharman and Lancaster. Lancaster argues the art is not in her ward. Lancaster has a pluckiness to her – she can be quick with a remark that you may not like and leaves you with the sense that she isn’t one to trifle with – and then she backs away from real issues.
There is a message when nine candidates file nomination papers for a seat held by a single term council member. A lot of people feel they can do a better job or do they smell blood in the water?
The ward has a large chunk of rural Burlington within its boundaries but the voting population is in the Alton, Headon and Millcroft communities.
This was home turf for Blair Lancaster the incumbent completing her first term. However Alton wasn’t a significant part of the population in 2010 – it was a community that was beginning to come together so it is an unknown as far as where the hearts of the voters lie.
Headon and Millcroft was a part of the city Lancaster split with Mark Carr who didn’t lose by all that much in 2010
Issues in the ward south of Dundas were the usual – parking, snow removal – nothing that would grab voters enough to get them to turn out in droves.
There was the renaming of South Hampton Blvd, a city street that runs west off Walker’s Line and has just the one address on it – the Burlington detachment of the Halton Regional Police. Police Association executives wanted the street name changed to Constable Henshaw Blvd., to commemorate Bill Henshaw who died while on duty in 2010.
It really wasn’t a major issue but one that riled one area resident enough for him to delegate and complain that is calls to Lancaster were never answered. “I did call you, on several occasions” said Lancaster. “Yes” responded the citizen – “you called me after the Standing Committee meeting took place and you had made your decision”.
Renaming the street wasn’t a big issue but the communication between the Council member and the constituent was the type of thing that would come up again and again with Lancaster.
Transit was an issue but it was not one that Lancaster had much to say about.
 They had every reason to be smiling. Councillors Meed Ward and Lancaster pose with five members of the Friends of Freeman Station after the Council meeting that approved the entering into of a Joint Venture that would have the Friends moving the station and taking on the task of renovating the building. She did have a lot to say about the Freeman Station and for that Lancaster deserves both merit points and a Brownie badge. She, along with Councillor Marianne Meed Ward, took the lead on this issue and managed to hold the rest of Council back. The two women don’t get along, have very little time for each other and deserve credit for being able to set aside differences and ensure that the Freeman project didn’t get trampled.
What Lancaster has not been able to do is establish strong working relationships with all too many of her constituents.
That dissension, particularly with those in rural Burlington who felt very strongly that there interests – and those of the city – were not being met.
Fellow Council members would comment on how little time Lancaster spent at city hall and there wasn’t a lot of positive feedback from city hall staff. A problem over a parking ticket was memorable.
Vanessa Warren, one of the best delegators we’ve seen in some time and an excellent researcher as well was seen as THE leader in this race for the Council when she declared her candidacy.
 Rural Burlington residents could not understand why there Council member chose to sit beside Vince Rossi – owner of the Air Park and the man responsible for dumping tonnes of fill without the required permits For the rural population of the ward the Air Park issue has been major. They see the landfill dumping done as a major affront to the environmental integrity of their part of the city and they feel the ward councillor is just a little too cozy with Vince Rossi, president of Burlington Air Park Inc.
Lancaster held many of her ward events at the Air Park – a nice location – what many didn’t fully appreciate was that the occasion was also an Air Park Open House that Lancaster was piggy backing on.
During the early days of the land fill being trucked onto the air park site a number of residents wondered who Lancaster was working for. There was some vicious email between Lancaster and several of her residents who became suspicious and wary of her actions.
During a community meeting at the Warren farm on Bell school line Lancaster sat beside Vince Rossi; during the trial over the landfill and site plan argument Lancaster sat in the row behind Rossi.
 Lancaster election signs appear beside the Air Park runway. The rural residents stopped trusting their Council member and formed a coalition of interests to keep the community informed. It was that coalition, Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition that did much of the early research on the financial organization of the Air Park and the $4.5 million mortgages that were on the property.
Vanessa Warren, the founding chair of that organization, delegated to the city and the Region very effectively. As 2013 became 2014 Warren decided that here had to be a candidate that would run against Lancaster and filed her nomination papers.
To the surprise of many, candidates then began to come out of the bushes until there were nine candidates running against the incumbent.
Lancaster appears to be betting that the nine will split the vote very widely and that her core vote will hold and she will manage to come up the middle.
During the 2010-14 term Lancaster served on the Burlington Museums Board, Burlington Public Library Board, Burlington Inclusivity Advisory Committee, Burlington Mundialization Committee and the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee.
 From left to right: Carm Bozzo, development manager, Halton Women’s Place; Councillor Blair Lancaster; Mayor Rick Goldring; Ed Dorr, Chair, Burlington Mundialization Committee. Perhaps her best work was done on the Mundialization committee where she represented Burlington with our sister cities Apeldoorn in Holland and Itabashi in Japan. It is in those almost semi-diplomatic roles that Lancaster shines.
There were three new council members in 2010 –Blair Lancaster, Paul Sharman and Marianne Meed Ward. Sharman created a name for himself with the way he handled the 2010 budget debates; Meed Ward brought a reputation with her – Lancaster struggled to learn the job and find her own niche.
She is currently chair of a Standing Committee; fortunately she has Councillor Craven as her deputy and he can guide her.
Background links:
Ward six: what has it got going for it?
 By Pepper Parr
October 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Councillor Marianne Meed Ward is upset that we didn’t tell her side of the story when we published a short piece on the complaint that Mike Swartz and some of his neighbours took to the Omsbudsman.
We have asked Meed Ward to be patient while we chase down all the angles on what is a very complex story that goes right to the heart of the kind of city Burlingtonians wants.
When people take complaints to governments or when lawyers are explaining an injury they use a word that sounds worse than it is. A cut might be described as a laceration for example.
Mike Swartz in his media release said he has made a formal complaint to the Omsbudsman and to Kaaren Wallace who is a Municipal Advisor within the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
 According to Mike Swartz the above, is a picture of the legally fenced property at the foot of Market St that Meed Ward consistently refers to as “an existing public walkway” This has driven increased foot traffic to the site and infuriated the public who quickly see there is no such walkway. Meed Ward has hidden the truth about the owner’s right to fence the land and restrict all public access. This has incited further potential for public mischief, antagonism towards the owners and increased potential liability. Meed Ward has no right to direct the public to privately fenced property, said Swartz What Swartz has done is heightened the rhetoric to make something sound much worse than it is.
Here is what Swartz is complaining about:
A lack of transparency on the part of Meed Ward –
Although the owners had asked Meed Ward on July 17th 2012 to convey the information to the public, as of the Council meeting on October 15, 2013 (fifteen months later) Meed Ward had still not been forthcoming with our request to inform the public of our concerns (a major breach of transparency). Her comments via social media continue to be misleading and lack transparency in that she refers to the Water St parcel as a “public pathway”.
Meed Ward ignored the owners’ requests and never informed the public that in actual fact, 50% of this parcel of land remains inaccessible to the public by a court order dating back to 1993 and that no such public walkway from Market St to St Paul exists.
That comment that “50% of this parcel of land remains inaccessible to the public by a court order dating back to 1993” is both a stretch and a rather unique interpretation of what the Judge said in the decision. There was no “court order” – there was a decision that had to do with monies that were to be returned.
We did say this was complex and we will do a feature article on what is a rather sad situation. For the moment let’s let each of the parties to this get a few words in.
 Mike Swartz telling city council that he might have to sue. Swartz in his document said: `…we are hereby formally registering a complaint against Ward 2 Councilor Meed Ward for serious contraventions and breach under the Act. It is unclear as to the formal process at the City regarding complaints dealing with Councilor violations under Sec 224 of the Municipalities Act. We are therefore submitting this complaint to the Ontario Municipal Ombudsman as well as Karren Wallace, Ontario Municipal advisor, Mayor Rick Goldring and City Clerk, Angela Morgan.. We further request that we be granted an in person meeting with the review party in order to more clearly define and elaborate on our claims.
Here is what Meed Ward has to say about that:
The residents who have filed the complaint disagree with my vote against selling this publicly-owned waterfront land. They have cited a 1993 court case in this matter, detailed below. One section of the public walkway is fenced at one end, but that fencing was not, contrary to the statements made in the complaint to the Ombudsman, a result of “a court order.” The court decision in fact reinforces that the land is in public hands.
Difference of opinion about a public issue is light years away from dereliction of duty. Meed Ward went on to say in a prepared statement that: “I will not be intimidated into silence by this action. I will not allow these actions to have a chilling effect on public discourse on a matter of significant public interest.
“I have and will continue to speak openly on this issue and to make my position and my vote clear, transparent and accountable. I will continue to notify the public about this issue, and seek public input.
“I will continue to advocate for the public interest on the waterfront. My commitment is to keep public waterfront lands in public hands. Period. I will not waver from that position.
This is a complex story that needs to be explained carefully – there are culprits all over the place on this one. Stay tuned.
Background links:
Swartz make formal complaint over council member behaviour
How city council decided to sell waterfront property
By Pepper Parr
October 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Mike Swartz and two of his neighbours Ralph Williams who lives on St. Paul Street and Ray Khana who lives on Market Street have filed a formal compliant with a provincial government bureaucrat they call the Omsbudsman, asking that Councilor Meed Ward be held accountable for historical and ongoing unethical conduct.
 Mike Swartz, delivering a very hard message to city council. We don’t want to sue but we will if we have to. They have already retained legal counsel. Quite what that being held accountable actually means is not clear.
 Keeping the land the city already owns in public hands would result in a pathway like this. “The complaints herein are primarily (although not exclusively) related to Meed Ward’s actions, behavior and efforts to have the Water St. parcel (a strip of City owned land between St. Paul St and Market St and bordering on a waterfront strip owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources) developed as a public walkway/parkette. This Water St parcel abuts 3 private property owners, namely, the households of Khanna, Swartz/Connell and Williams, herein referred to as “the owners”.
“The owners first met with their Ward 2 Councilor Meed Ward on July17th 2012 to discuss the concerns of the Water St. land and their intent to purchase it. The owners asked Meed Ward for her support. The Councilor made it very clear that she was opposed to the owners purchasing the properties, as she wanted it to become a park. At that time the owners agreed to disagree but they asked her as their Ward 2 Councilor to share the following information with the public. “
As one gets into the details of this complaint things get very muddy and complex which is a large part of the problem; the public has never been given the full story.
 Selling the land at the lake’s edge to private property owners would create a situation like this – where three homes would have exclusive use of this view. In the days ahead the Gazette will pull together as much of the detail as we can and set out what the issue really is – does Burlington want to keep waterfront property in the hands of the public?
Quite why Swartz and his neighbours are taking a formal complaint to (they say to the Omsbudsman but the complaint is addressed to Karren Wallace, Ontario Municipal Advisor, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) is not clear. It is far too late in the election process for this to have any impact on the public’s perception of Meed Ward.
It is an issue that needs an airing but it will be as much as a year before there is any comment from the Municipal Adviser. Karren Wallace is out of the office until October 22nd – so that complaint isn’t going to go very far.
Much more to be done on this story – which does not appear to have yet become a significant public issue.
Council will be getting an update report at its November meeting but they won’t be able to do anything. They will be a lame duck council without the authority to spend any money for anything that has not been budgeted.
Depending on how the vote goes – there may be a significantly different council in place on December 1st when they are all sown in.
Stay tuned – this is a doozer of a story.
Background link:
City decides to sell some of the “crown jewels”
By Staff
October 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Almost 10 per cent of Burlington’s eligible voters have cast their ballots for the 2014 Municipal Election. Advance polls were on Oct. 8 and 18 and online voting was offered from Oct. 2 until 19.
A total of 11,072 votes were cast, with 7,976 done online. There are about 126,000 eligible voters in Burlington.
 These numbers are almost double those of the 2010 election advance voting period. In 2010, a total of 6,045 votes were cast, with 2,500 done online of about 120,000 eligible voters in Burlington. This translated to five per cent of eligible voters using advance or online voting in 2010.
“We are pleased with the turnout so far,” said Angela Morgan, City Clerk. “We hope this trend continues through to Election Day.”
There are some people who are no so pleased. The voted on line for the candidate they knew – not realizing there were other candidates. When they met the other candidates some are reported to have said they had already voted and regretted doing so,
On line voting is a convenience but it also limits the time-frame within which a voter can cast their ballot. Online voting ends more than a week before election day – any last minutes changes – and the early voter is out of luck. Incumbents love the online voters – they get to lock them in early.
Monday, Oct. 27, is Election Day. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check your Voter Identification Notice for your poll location
Letter to the Editor
By Geoff Brock
October 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
A point of clarification. Peter Rusin never said a highway through Burlington was inevitable. He did say a new highway was inevitable and that if Burlington didn’t get proactive with the province and make sure they were at the table where the decisions are going to be made there could be a highway through Burlington.
I’m want to respond to the discussion I’ve seen in the news over the past weekend about a new Niagara Highway coming to Burlington.
I’m very disappointed to see that Peter Rusin, one of the candidates for Mayor in Burlington, is supporting a new Highway through Burlington because he thinks that will end traffic congestion and drive growth
 Mr. Rusin’s position ignores the 10+ year study process that was completed by the Provincial Ministry of Transportation in 2013. This study involved multiple municipalities, dozens of Public consultation meetings, and over $10 million in consulting work and transportation planning. The conclusion was that a New Niagara highway corridor is not needed in Burlington. The Stop the Escarpment Highway Coalition was an active participant in this process, along with the City of Burlington and the Halton Region. The conclusion that was reached is a great example of local community groups working with local governments. I don’t know what facts Mr. Rusin is working with other than his own personal opinion.
 Metrolinx completed the Midtown Oakville Mobility Hub Study in October 2012. The study developed a long-term vision for the Oakville GO Station and surrounding lands, building on the substantial amount of planning work the Town of Oakville has already completed – the May 2011 Livable Oakville Official Plan and the June 2008 Draft Midtown Business and Development Plan. It focuses on the redevelopment of publicly-owned lands around the Oakville GO station, the majority of which is owned by Metrolinx. The study also looks at expanding the GO station to ensure it can best accommodate significant growth planned for the area and future Trafalgar Bus Rapid Transit. Mr. Rusin seems unaware of the work Metrolinx is doing in the GTHA to get people out of cars and onto transit. Some things Burlington can do alone, and some need Regional and provincial support. GO train electrification will get us GO train service every 15 minutes all day long, all year. That should get some cars off the road and improve air quality! Expanding the Mobility hub around the Burlington GO station could further help reduce congestion and create an employment centre. You only have to look at the great work done in Oakville to define a vision for the Mobility hub around their GO station. Do look.
Getting people out of cars is tough unless they have a viable alternative. Even the MTO’s long term plans show Burlington only moving from less than 5% of trips on transit, to slightly over 10% in the next 15 years. We need politicians and leaders who will ask “What will it take to get 20% of trips on transit?” The answer is better and more convenient service!
 There are lots of great policy ideas that Burlington can do on their own. Local trips on transit are not that convenient. It’s still difficult to get from Burlington to Oakville or Hamilton on transit. Working together with sister municipalities, instead of having standalone transit systems, will support the way citizens are living and working in the community. This idea requires regional thinking and cooperation and the vision a municipal mayor can give to the process.
Study after study shows that $1 spent on transit infrastructure returns many times the benefit of one spent on roads. Cars are going to handle the majority of trips for a long time, but the mix is going to change. We need leaders who understand that long term shift is coming and set the course to keep Burlington one of the most livable cities in Canada.
Geoff Brock is the Co- Chair, Stop the Escarpment Highway Coalition
By Pepper Parr
October 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The ward runs from the QEW all the way up to Dundas – the municipal boundary. The votes are all clustered south of Dundas where there are constituents who need service.
 The problems and the long range challenges for the ward are north of Dundas and in the term of council we are completing John Taylor has been a fierce advocate for protecting the Escarpment, ensuring we never see another quarry and doing everything he can to prevent a highway cutting into Burlington.
While Taylor fights hard to keep a new highway from cutting through his ward – he doesn’t offer an alternative or a fully researched argument on how we manage the traffic and get less of it.
The biggest commercial operation close to the ward is the city owned Burlington Hydro. There is some commercial concentration along the North Service Road between Guelph Line and Brant and some commercial development potential at the Upper Middle Road and Brant intersection plus the property at Havendale and Brant owned by the Catholic Church that backs onto the Tyandaga Golf course. While technically not in his ward – any development of that property would certainly impact ward 3.
 Mountasinside Recreational Cdentre upgrade – it is projects like this that keep the voters hjappy – and Councillor TAylor delivered on this one. In the four years we have observed John Taylor, his strongest position on the economic development file is to keep the Employment lands just as they are and not allow all that much in the way of conversion.
What does Taylor do to make his ward better? We’ve not heard all that much as to what he wants to do in the southern part of the ward other than get a major upgrade to the Mountainside Recreation Centre. It took a long time but Taylor did bring home the bacon on that one. .
 The facilities at the Mountainside Recreational Centre and the grounds were totally revamped. Art work will be erected neatr the entrance. His focus has been on the rural part of the ward where he wants to ensure that it is kept the way it is. Taylor has worked hard on the Mt. Nemo study that he hopes will result in a bylaw that prevents anything urban creeping into that rural preserve.
The Preliminary Study of the Heritage Character of the Mount Nemo Plateau had an upset limit of $200,000 – which was more than many in rural Burlington thought should be spent. For Taylor and the people in the planning department the objective was to determine if the plateau could be made a Heritage Conservation District.
The Preliminary Study of the Heritage Character of the Mount Nemo Plateau was completed by Heritage Consultant, Andre Scheinman and was presented to the Development and Infrastructure Committee on January 13, 2014.
Taylor wasn’t particularly enamored with Scheinman as a consultant but he wanted the study to go forward – which is did.
 Councillor Taylor broke almost every rule there was related to Heritage properties – he wasn’t going to let this one get away. It was saved and the grateful owners are paying the piper with his sign. The work of the consultant has identified that the Mount Nemo Plateau possesses heritage character worthy of recognition as a cultural heritage landscape through further study and possible designation as a Heritage Conservation District (HCD). Taylor was all for this – besides saving the historic Panton house in Kilbride – this was going to be the Taylor legacy. The Panton house was constructed circa 1855-1860 for William Panton, the founder of the village of Kilbride.
While the Air Park problems are not ward 3 matters – whatever happens on that 200 acres will impact all of rural Burlington. Taylor hasn’t been silent on the Air Park problems but he hasn’t been all that vocal about it either.
 The votes are between Dundas and the QEW and Brant and Guelph line – is that where the Councillor’s heart is? He took part in the Open House tour the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition held recently and it didn’t take much to fully understand where Taylor stood on the “illegal” landfill. Many in rural Burlington had hoped that Taylor’s voice would be louder and stronger.
Ward 3 does not have a ward council. Taylor tends to prefer meeting with groups of people, particularly in the rural part of the ward. He meets with people in church halls and makes sure nothing happens in Lowville or Kilbride that doesn’t have his fingerprints all over it.
Link:
Profile of ward 3 Councillor
By Walter Byj and Pepper Parr
October 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette is doing profiles of each member of Council. They are based on four years of observations and interviews with most Council members. An overview of the ward they serve is linked to the profile.
After more than 25 years as a Burlington Councillor, John Taylor is not ready to step down. He is seeking another 4 year term. Initially acclaimed in 1988, Councillor Taylor feels there is much to accomplish before stepping down from “the best job” he has had. While reflecting on his years in council, Taylor outlined his priorities not only of his ward, but also for the City of Burlington.
 Eliminating the current $150 million infrastructure deficit is a key priority – it should be – Taylor was on Council for more than 20 years when that deficit was created. The lack of new industrial development in Burlington is one of his major concerns as vast tracts of land sit idle awaiting development.
His hope is that the revised Burlington Economic Development Corporation will kick start more economic activity that will increase our tax base as residential growth will be limited to approximately 10,000 people over the next 20 years and the accompanying tax base will be very limited.
Eliminating the current $150 million infrastructure deficit is also a key priority and the current plan of increasing taxes annually for the next 15 years will eliminate this deficit in 20 to 25 years, an event many of us will not be able to celebrate.
As for ward 3, Taylor said “the most urgent issue is that the rural area of Burlington is under threat”. The fear of a new provincial highway and expansion of quarry activity in northern Burlington are at the top of his list. Burlington has two major natural features, rural lands with the escarpment in the north and the lake to the south and they should both be protected. Preserving the quality of life in ward 3 by developing our parks to another level over time is also a key concern for Taylor. This would include the finishing touches at Mountainside Park along with Lowville and Kilbride sometime in the future.
 Asked if there should be a term limitation for councillors, he responded that the electorate should decide this. Change for the sake of change is not the answer. Let the people decide who is best to serve them. Anyone wanting to take his seat should not run on the slogan “time for a change”, but rather run on policy.
Did he feel that age was catching up and perhaps not have the energy level that politics required? “I’ve learned to work smarter” responded Taylor. After 20 years of being on council, I have learned to pace myself and to pick my battles. His dedication and work ethic will remain the same, even though he plans to enjoy life outside of politics a bit more.
 Taylor grouses about the thickness of some of the reports but he reads everything – stays at home on Fridays to do the reading. Always has solid questions. Everyone thinks Taylor cannot be beaten; every candidate can be beaten with the right campaign. The ward’s failure to come up with a credible candidate is their loss. While Jeff Brooks is interesting, his very late entry does not give him the time needed to become known and doesn’t give the community the time it needs to get to know him.
Lisa Cooper appears to be running until John retires and hopes the seat will fall into her lap.
Burlington has had more than a handful of first time candidates who announced their intention to run less than 90 days before the election – difficult to take them seriously.
John Taylor is not only the Dean of Burlington’s city council; he is in many ways the conscience of this Council. He also has the best sense of humour on this Council. He laughs easily even if he is the object of the laughter.
At one point he threatened to walk out to the atrium and talk about a matter that was being discussed in camera. Taylor just saw that as wrong – especially when the subject had been talked about openly at the Region.
On another occasion Taylor broke every planning rule there was when he finagled and got his colleagues to go along with changes that made it possible for a house that had significant historical merit to be sold.
 Councillor Taylor meeting with staff to check up on some of the numbers in the budget binder. On yet another occasion he ventured into another Council members ward to help out with a water pipe problem when the Councillor for the ward had no time for the constituent.
Once city council got used to the idea early in this term of office that it had to come up with $60 million as its share of the Joseph Brant hospital re-build the city had to figure out how it was going to get that money to the hospital.
The hospital wanted the money given to them so they could build the parking garage that was necessary – the parking lot in place was where the hospital expansion was going to be built so it had to go. Taylor balked at that – he couldn’t see Burlington giving the hospital $60 million to build a garage and then have then keep all the parking fees. Taylor’s obstinacy on that issue served the city well.
Taylor knows more than anyone else about what the city has done in the past and how the place works – that knowledge doesn’t come to his fingertips as easily as it once did.
Taylor is huge supporter of Community Development Halton (CDH) and works hard to get the people in his ward involved in CDH events. More often than not – he will reach into his pocket and slip a folded piece of paper into the hands of Joey Edwardh’s, Executive Director of CDH.
Rural Burlington was not always the focus it currently is for John Taylor. He established his base in the southern part of the ward and that vote has stayed with him.
 The ladies love him. He charms them and he listens to them; never patronizes them. That’s why he gets smiles like this one from Georgina Black, the consultant who led the then new new city council through its Strategic Plan back in 2011. Generous, a true liberal minded citizen, Taylor gave very serious thought to making this term his last. He changed his mind when his health improved. Every candidate can be beaten but it is going to take a candidate who is well organized and who has developed a profile at least a year before an election is called to win the seat.
However, politics is known for its upsets. The voters usually get it right.
Link:
Background on ward 3
By Carol Gottlob
Candidate Municipal and Regional Council – ward 4
October 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Each week, until the ballots are cast on October 27th, we are going to follow the tales and travails of a single candidate. We have chosen Carol Gottlob, running in ward 4 against a well entrenched incumbent. Gottlob has no experience in civic government, has never campaigned before. Following this candidate is not an endorsement; Gottlob will win on her own merit.
As we head into the final week of the election campaign, I’m taking this opportunity to reflect on the experience thus far and the impact of the last 7 weeks. My journey begins much sooner, (I think maybe grade 6, when I won the citizenship award in my school for being on the student council and leading a fund-raising campaign), but I’ll focus on the chapter that is the fall campaign of 2014.
 Those pink lines show the streets that ward 4 candidate Carol Gottlob walked and knocked on every door. I understood, going into this process, that there would be long days ahead, tough days, calling on constituents and trying to make myself known in a ward that has grown accustomed to the incumbent of almost 20 years. Gottlob wasn’t a household name yet, and I’ve had to coach a few on pronunciation (rhymes with globe), but it’s been a pleasure doing so. Having been a long distance runner and now an avid hiker, I was eager to test my stamina. Despite a slight cold at the time of writing, I can say I’ve been enjoying each day, regardless of the weather. I am discovering people and the stories about my community I otherwise never would have. Many of those stories begin on August 4th, the day of the flood.
People talk about the kindness of neighbours, the shock of losing precious belongings, the frustration of waiting for answers and the anxiety of reliving the experience if nothing is done. And if they’re not telling it, someone else who was “spared” will tell it for them. There are also nostalgic stories of past councils and mayors, back in the day…. when times were perhaps simpler? These stories only further inspired me to service public office for the residents in my ward. They’re incredible people and I want to give them more, give them better, and help better protect them in the future from these types of disasters.
What I did not fully appreciate until living it was the mental stamina required standing at the door, absorbing people’s reaction to a new face, a fresh idea, and selling myself, my values, my vision for a better future. I felt the occasional cold shoulder, which I accepted as part of this democratic process and debated some controversial issues on many a doorstep. Overall, I would have to say I felt welcomed and respected, and often times appreciated for the simple fact that I was presenting a choice for constituents, a reminder that their voice and vote matter. Burlington does have some of the nicest people.
Interestingly an unexpected challenge came out of the on-line voting, specifically the timing of it. I was at the GO station the week on-line voting began, encouraging people to use it. Apparently this election, a significant number of voters have been using the Internet to vote, and a surprising number of seniors are amongst them! This is wonderful as it provides many residents the opportunity to be more engaged in the municipal government process. It could be argued that the campaign started as early as January 2nd, when nominations opened.
Current rules are such that the voter list was only available after Labour Day, and signs were permitted only after September 12th. Online voting began October 2nd until the 19th. As a result, for new candidates time is significantly diminished to less than 40 days to make the rounds, or put up signs. I believe the current framework with a staggered early online voting option gives incumbents with name recognition a large potential for an advantage here. In the absence of signs, literature or personal appearances, the voter is likely to defer to the familiar name on the ballot. My suggestion would be for Internet voting to take place between the advanced polling dates, which still gives voters lots of time to become informed about the candidates; something I recommend we should consider for 2018.
 Ward 4 candidate Caril Gottlob installing her first election sign. So now, of course, with Election Day so close at hand, my thoughts turn to the immediacy of what it means to me to be a Councillor and the role I will play. Words such as “advocate”, “advisor”, “steward” and of course “politician” come to mind. But what do those words really mean, and what roles do they suggest? I find myself feeling keenly aware of the tremendous expectations placed upon the Councillor; expectations I intend to confront with integrity, fairness, accountability, responsibility and responsiveness. When asking for someone’s vote, I’m promising to return these values, and more.
Today our culture is fluid and rampant with various means of communication on various platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Email, and online web presence, so as large as our city has grown and continues to grow, so has our ability to invite people into the city hall policy making processes. With this access to information also comes the responsibility of processing and exchanging that which is pertinent to the community versus that which is irrelevant and at times confusing. I believe the role of a Councillor requires great skill in listening, absorbing and understanding.
It also requires a close hand on the community’s pulse of what they want and need in areas of budgeting and expenditures. Costly errors are not easily forgiven, nor should they be. As a Councillor I believe one must act in a conscientious manner and be a transparent advisor to constituents. The best Councillors are those who do more than come out at election time to speak to residents, but instead are constant touch points of communication throughout their term in public office.
Looking back, would I have done things differently to this point? There are always areas for improvement, but overall I can say that I have given Ward 4 my best efforts in introducing myself and declaring what I want the opportunity to do for them. Would it help to have more background experience in municipal affairs? Knowing a job always provides for a faster pick up on the day to day activities, but all successful leaders know what they know and know in the absence of knowledge to ask educated and informed individuals so as to inform themselves before making a decision.
I am confident in my efforts as a candidate in this election, and I can say running for election has been and continues to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience regardless of the outcome.
 By Pepper Parr
October 19, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Our lawyers received the following letter from lawyer Peter E. J. Wells, who represents the Burlington Air Park.
“I am writing to you concerning an article dated October 17, 2014 that was brought to my attention last evening, the 16th. I enclose a copy for you reference. The passage in the article that is of concern is:
“It used to be that people would sue us for libel hoping that would shut us down. Now they are resorting to really sneaking dirty tricks -we must be doing something right.” Unless some other party has recently commenced a libel action against your client, the first sentence plainly refers to our client.
I assume that your client did not mean to imply that our client had anything to do with the hacking, if only because that would be further evidence of the malice that we have piiiaded (word un-decipherable) in the statement of claim. This sort of unfortunate word order leading to an unintended meaning happens from time to time in publications.
At page 45 of his book “For Whom The Bell Tolls’.’ Guardian production editor David Marsh gives the following example from an article in The Times about the late actor Peter Ustinov, who was said to have referred to “his encounters with Nelson Mandela, a demigod and a dildo collector.” Marsh suggests that the writer intended to say “encounters with a demigod, a dildo collector and Nelson Mandela.”
First, we were certainly not suggesting that the Burlington Air Park did the hack on our system. There field of expertise is the dumping of landfill without the required approvals.
We were impressed with just how well read the Air Park lawyer is – The Times, the Guardian and Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. Impressive.
Nelson Mandela a dildo collector? Who knew!
Wells, in his letter, goes on to ask that:
“In the circumstances I expect a prompt, clear retraction to be published by your client making it clear that your client did not intend to suggest that our client had anything to do with the hacking referred to.
We didn’t say the Air Park hacked us. Were we suggesting they might have? We didn’t think so and are comfortable saying that we did not intend to suggest the Air Park had anything to do with the hack that was done to our system.
We do appreciate learning more about the late Nelson Mandela.
Full disclosure. Burlington lawyer Katherine Henshell represents the Burlington Gazette in this matter. She is a candidate for the ward one council seat.
By Pepper Parr
October 19, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
All the big players and the heavy hitters have stepped up and done what they could for those people in the community who find themselves struggling as a result of the damage done to their homes during the August 4th flood. It is an impressive list and more names will be added in the weeks ahead as we reach that 100 day target chief fund raiser Ron Foxcroft set when the Burlington Community Foundation took on the task of running the public side of the fund raising effort that was needed to quality for provincial support.
In alphabetical order they are:
Bank of Montreal, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd, Branthaven Homes, Bruce Etherington & Associates, Burlington Community Foundation, Burlington Hydro Inc., Burlington Insurance Brokers Association, Burlington Lions Club, Cogeco, CUPE Local 44, Fengate, Fortinos, Insurance Bureau of Canada, L3 – Wescam, Linkins Medicine Professional Corporation, Longo’s, New Horizon, Newalta, Ontario Secondary School Teachers District 20, Pioneer Energy, RBC Royal Bank, Reliance Home Comfort, Smith’s Funeral Home, Union Gas, Walker Industries.
Catherine Brady organized a group that has coin donation boxes in more than sixty locations across the city. Some donours have put fifty dollar bills in those boxes. 
Then there is Sheil Patel, an ace tennis player and a student at the Fairview Glen Montessori school, who was talking to his physiotherapist Dorothy Borovich and asking what he could do to help the people who had their homes flooded. Out of that conversation came $ 3048, which was added to the more than $800,000that has been raised to date by the community.
Sheil, an 11 year old who works out as a tennis player at Cedar Springs, talked to his mother Pooja and together they came up with the idea of soliciting donations from area retailers and putting the prize in large glass jars that were on display at Cedar Springs and at the Fairview Glen school.
 From the right: Ward four council member Jack Dennison, Mayor Goldring, Ron Foxcroft, Sheil Patel and his dad, Vip Patel. People could then bid on each prize – they varied from a pair of Raptor tickets to a jar of gum balls; several merchants provided gift cards. The jars were the best way we could think of to display the prizes people would bid on. “The Domino’s pizza didn’t fit in the jar of course – we put in a label for that one” explained Shiel. “The school was very good to us” said Sheil.
“They let me sell tickets to the students and their families and the Fairview Glen Board of directors added $500 as well.” Pooja Patel and her husband wanted their children to attend an open minded school, where students had the freedom to move around and use their imaginations. Both their boys attend the Montessori school – have done so since the very beginning of their education.
 Students from most of the grades at Fairview Glen Montessori school were out to support student Sheil Patel on his raising $3048 for flood relief. The Fairview Glen school however just goes to grade six – so next fall Sheil will attend a private school. “We’ve been visiting some of the schools and deciding where Sheil will attend next year. While middle school and high school are ahead of Sheil, his eye is on Harvard where he would like to study medicine, hopefully on a tennis sports scholarship.
The Patel family live in a cul de sac south of Fairview, off Walker’s Line, where there have been just two families move elsewhere. “It’s a very stable community – a place, where we can live out our culture and be active Canadians citizens” said Pooja. She added that Canada is a country that accepts everyone – that can’t be said of many countries. She and her husband met as students at McMaster University – both were commerce students – and were married in a traditional Indian wedding ceremony.
“Yes, my husband rode a horse” she added. The family maintains both their culture and religion “but we also celebrate what we call “commercial Christmas” as well as many other Canadian celebrations. The large corporate donations to the flood relief program are vital – the individual efforts by young people in the community are what really reveal the spirit of the city.
 Sheil Patel’s prize table included a pair of Raptors tickets, a pair of Asics tennis shoes (Tred Well), candy, gift cards from Marilu’s Market, Bombay Grill, Dominos Pizza, Holland Park Nursery, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe and many others. This weekend both Longo’s and Fortinos will be asking their customers if they wish to make a small donation as they come to terms with the cashier. Take advantage of the opportunity – funds are still needed – and we may learn that the provincial government is not going to give the citizens anything in the way of Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance (ODRAP) despite the efforts of MPP Eleanor McMahon.
The application has been sitting on the desk of Minister Ted McMeekin for some time. Longos will be accepting donation until the 24th; Fortino’s will be accepting donations until the 30th.
 By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
He’s calling the first four years of his time as Mayor the “cleanup/set up” phase for what one might assume is going to be the new beginning for Burlington. The phrase was used in an interview the Mayor gave recently.
 What was there to “clean up? The city certainly has its problems but is there a load of stuff that had to be cleaned up?
Infrastructure needs money, transit needs attention, the advances made with the arts and cultural file have been good.
We still don’t have an Economic Development Corporation that is going to do great things for us. Yes, they do need time to put the new story together but we said the same thing about the Executive Director that it took more than a year to get rid of.
On the surface all the public is seeing is an organization that holds networking events. The next biggie that will speak to the commercial elite is our own hometown girl Lisa Lisson, president of FedEx Canada.
We hear precious little from this Mayor on what could be done with the Air Park. Staff have carried this one – what the public is going to gulp at it how much money has been spent on legal fees. Is that clean up or has the public been set up?
Mayor Goldring has taken the position that he put the pier problem to bed – and except for a few minor details that file is closed: what the Mayor will not live up to or taken responsibility for are the several mistakes that added a couple of million to the cost of the thing.
This city managed to go through two city managers while Rick Goldring was Mayor. They pretty well fired the one that was in place when Goldring took office – the second one took a hike to a greener pasture – and if anyone thinks the council Jeff Fielding had to work with was not a part of his decision to change addresses – then they have the same limited vision our Mayor has.
When Goldring was elected there were some questions asked about his work as a financial planner/wealth manager. At the time we were told that Goldring had given up the various licenses he was required to have and that he would be a full time Mayor. We now learn that he “owns” a local branch of Assante Wealth Management from which he has taken a leave of absence – not quite the same thing as getting out of the business.
The public has heard nothing about what Rick Goldring’s vision is for the city. We do know that he is “not on” for the 28 storey tower the Adi Development people want to put up at the corner of Lakeshore and Martha but we know nothing about what he thinks that part of the city should look like.
There are parking lots in a large part of that area. Private and corporate property owners don’t operate parking lots – they hold land until they are ready to develop. Burlington needs to decide what it wants to see in an area that is going to have a 22 story condominium tower and an eight storey hotel just a block away from the proposed 28 storey tower.
Saying that Burlington already has the legacy tower it wanted (that was back in 1985) it a pretty weak argument for not permitting a 28 story tower.
The “set up” here is our Mayor failing to really fight for what he thinks is best for the city he is supposed to be leading.
At the recent Chamber of Commerce debate Rick Goldring, in an aside to candidate Peter Rusin, the Mayor is reported to have said he agreed with Rusin’s views on any NGTA highway but couldn’t say anything for political reasons.
How’s that for leadership?
 By Staff
October 19, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
 A loose leaf collection service is provided to Burlington residents in the fall, typically beginning the first week in November of each year. This program is in addition to the Yard Waste Collection Service provided by Halton Region Waste Services.
Please follow the guidelines below to help ensure a timely and cost-effective leaf collection program:
Please have your loose leaves raked and ready for pickup just prior to the start date for your collection area.
Be mindful of collection dates and avoid raking leaves to the road too early.
Place leaves up to the edge of the curb or roadway (but not on the road) in a loose pile so city equipment can reach them.
Ensure loose leaves are not over catch basins or in the ditches in front of your home .
Please make sure leaves do not contain branches or other debris. Leaves mixed with other waste cannot be collected.
Avoid placing leaves on sidewalks and walkways.
Remove basketball nets, parked vehicles and other obstructions from the road to allow city crews clear access to leaf piles.
Do not place garbage bags, garbage bins, Blue Boxes or GreenCarts on top of loose-leaf piles.
Bagged Leaf and Yard Waste Collection
Halton Region continues to provide collection of bagged leaves and yard waste on the same day as your garbage pick-up. This program is a separate program from Burlington’s Loose Leaf Collection.
Leaf Disposal Alternatives.
• Mulch leaves to use in gardens, flowerbeds, or leave them on your yard.
• Compost leaves in your backyard composter.
• Deliver leaves to the to the Halton Waste Management Site in paper bags or in bulk for composting
By Pepper Parr, Publisher, Burlington Gazette
October 19th, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Early next week all of the homes south of Dundas in Burlington will see a small flyer in their mail boxes. It will be the first piece of direct promotion the Gazette has done since its inception four years ago.
The flyer announces the posting of real time election results on the front page of the Gazette on October 27th just as soon as the polls close.
 Gazette’s first piece of promotional material. Burlingtonians will be able to go to the Gazette web site and see what the most recent results are for the office of Mayor and the six council members.
We will not be posting the results for the Regional chair – while there are other people running for that office – it is evident that Gary Carr will be returned.
We will not be posting the results of the trustees for either the Halton District School Board or the Halton Catholic District School Board.
The Gazette is a not for profit organization – w do not have a revenue stream. The expenses to date have come out of our pockets and there is only so much time and financial resources available to us.
We will be doing on going news coverage and the results will be available once the school board trustee winners are known.
Our flyer – which measures 6 x 9 inches has, like every other piece of paper, two sides. We didn’t need both sides of the flyer – so we sold side two. Because our part of the flyer is about election results we had no problem with an individual running for office using side two.
 Sharing the space on a piece of promotional material should not be seen as an endorsement of the candidate. Our accepting an advertisement from a candidate for the office of Mayor is certainly not an endorsement. If Peter Rusin should win the mayors chair it will be because he did it on merit.
Rusin needed name exposure – the flyer is going to get to every home south of Dundas – that’s exposure.
Why not north of Dundas? There wasn’t enough time to get the flyers into production and into the hands of the distribution company in time for the scheduled delivery.
 By Lana Kameric
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into Black Bull Tavern last night. My publisher told me that Burlington had a slam poetry group that hosts an event every month.
As someone who has been writing poems for many years – not that I have ever dared to recite them in front of a live audience – naturally I was inclined to attend the Burlington Slam to see what it was all about. What I found was an open minded, supportive audience and a talented, confident group of artists gathering in the Fireside Lounge of Black Bull Tavern and sharing their words with all those willing to listen.
 Dia Davina at the Black Bull poetry slam Most of the guests, including myself, were attending the slam for the first time. However, you would never have guessed it from the group dynamic. The engagement between the host, the audience and the performers felt familiar, comfortable, more like a gathering of friends sharing their artwork than a group of strangers. Hosted by Bassam, former satanic rapper now a performance poet and member of the Burlington Slam Project Team, the slam encourages audience participation – hissing at the poems they dislike and cheering for the poems they do like. The conversation created between the performer and the audience, while remaining respectful, leaves more room for an honest response. After all, an artist needs more than polite applause to grow in their craft.
The slam usually begins with open mic performances, which anyone may sign up for. However, since no one signed up for the open mic portion of the evening the slam was focused on the poets alone, and they did not disappoint.
Five poets competed in two rounds for a cash prize donated by the Black Bull Tavern. Dia Davina, the featured artist of the night, performed a few of her original pieces between the competitive rounds. Judges were selected from the audience to score each performance, which would determine the first, second and third place winners of the evening. Don Murray, not only a poet but also the archivist and webmaster for the Burlington Slam Project, won first place after receiving the highest score on his two original pieces.
We were warned in the beginning that is not a family friendly show, there is swearing, controversy and uncomfortable topics – my kind of art. The poems performed last night were personal, moving and at times shocking leaving the audience speechless and paralyzed before bursting into applause and cheers.
 The Slammers – Tommy Bewick second from the right got this show on the road in Burlington. As an artist who prefers to paint my feelings I was blown away with the courage of these artists, sharing their deepest thoughts and experiences, telling us the stories that have shaped them into the brave poets that they are today. Davina’s poems in particular reminded me of painting. The way she flows from word to word, creating imagery that triggers a memory and feeling from each person in the room, resembles the way that a painter moves colour on a canvas to form symbolism that the viewer can relate to. Listening to each poem was like taking a walk through the artist’s thoughts guided by familiar ideas that exist inside my own mind. Each time I heard that pleased sigh coming from the audience I knew that I was not the only one able to relate to the poets’ words. The Burlington Slam Project was a truly inspiring experience.
The Burlington Slam Project hosts poetry slam nights every month on the third Thursday in the Fireside Lounge of the Black Bull Tavern unless noted otherwise.
Lana Kamarić is a contemporary surrealist artist and a self-taught painter. Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia Lana arrived in Canada at the age of five. After moving to Burlington she attended Robert Bateman High school and graduated from York University with a degree in Art History. Lana has worked with the Museums of Burlington, the Art Gallery of Burlington and is currently working as a full-time artist. Lana was a participant in Cirque, the 2014 No Vacancy installation event in the Village Square. Her last show was Art in the Workplace at McMaster Innovation Park.
By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It was a “sold out” event.
It was also an embarrassing occasion when the Chamber of Commerce was not able to provide a way for mayoralty candidate Anne Marsden to join Mayor Goldring and Peter Rusin on the stage. She had to sit at the side of the raised platform because of a disability that makes it very difficult for her to mount steps.
One would have expected the Chamber of Commerce to realize that Marsden needed access to the platform – they invited her to the event. This lack of understanding, appreciation and concern for those who have a disability and need different access than the rest of us has been Anne Marsden point for years. Shameful that the Chamber of Commerce would fail at this level.
 Possible routes for an NGTA highway – the blue one put a shiver into the bones of Burlington and the Region. Rusin repeated his concern with the Mayor’s approach to economic development and said a new highway was an inevitability which moved Councillor Taylor to send out an email saying: “ Mayoral Candidate Peter Rusin today, at the Chamber of Commerce debate, called for the divisive Niagara to GTA Highway process to begin again with the support of City Council.
 That faint yellow arrow heads straight for the heart of Burlington’s Escarpment country. “Please spread the word to all Rural residents. We need strong continued leadership on this issue and the Mayor and I need your continued support to send a strong message to Council.
Mayor Goldring is reported to have said to Rusin after the debate that he shared Rusin’s view but that there was no way he could say that politically.
Rusin’s position appears to be that the city needs to work with the province and work out a solution that resolves the provinces problem of moving traffic and gives the city the economic development resources it needs.
Rusin point out that there was a time when the #1 side road was the rural boundary but that that changed when highway 407 was built. Rusin appears to want to see commercial development on the north side of that highway.
Rusin said after the debate that he could not see a highway ever coming through Kilbride and Lowville and while the province has put any development work on hold – that road is the major one on the table.
This is the first time anyone has heard that the Mayor has an opinion on what Burlington needs in terms of roads and the economic development needs.
By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Why didn’t council stop the sale of public waterfront land?
Council votes 6-1 to sell waterfront land.
 Many people want a public path along the edge of the lake between Market and St. Paul streets; the property owners want nothing of that idea. Jennifer Hlusko, a candidate for the ward six seat on city council uses social media to communicate. A day isn’t complete without at least one, usually several links that she passes along. We never get to hear what Hlusko’s view is on the issue she is covering – she is just passing along good information.
Hlusko is a very intelligent woman; a little on the brittle side at times but this woman is on top of the facts.
She recently did a piece on the decision city council made to sell a small strip of land on the waterfront which, if completed, will put an end for a long, long time to any hope for a waterfront trail that this city could have.
We wondered just what kind of coverage this story had been given by the print media and are grateful to Hlusko for pulling all the local coverage together.
 Will the average Tom, Dick or Harry keep the right to walk this piece of land. City owns part of it – but have decided to sell it. Other print media
• Oct 16, 2013: Burlington Post: Burlington council decides to sell waterfront property
• Oct 3, 2013: Burlington Post: Burlington considering selling public waterfront land to private hands
• Oct 24, 2013: Hamilton Spectator: Little: Waterfront public land up for sale
Burlington Gazette
• Jul 28, 2014: Waterfront Property for Public Use – it can happen if the public makes enough noise
• May 26, 2014: The sale of that waterfront land isn’t a done deal yet – a citizens group will be delegating against any extension at council this week
• Nov 2, 2013: Citizens speak – hundreds of them. Not all disagree with Council – but majority do. Was Council wrong?
• Oct 16, 2013: City Council votes 6:1 to sell waterfront. Public may never know what the selling price will be
• Oct 8, 2013: How city council managed to vote to sell waterfront lands and what some people want to do about that
• Oct 7, 2013: Part II Why does your City Council want to sell waterfront property rather than create a stunning lake front parkette?
• Oct 5, 2013: Part I Is your city council about to sell your birthright? Waterfront land just east of the downtown core may be sold
• Jan 1, 2013: Waterfront Advisory Committee sinks slowly into the setting sun
• Jun 6, 2011: Access to the Waterfront? Not everything you might think it is
The deal to actually sell the land has not closed. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is involved in this as is one of the candidates for the office of Mayor.
 Janice Connell spoke for herself and her neighbours at the council committee meeting where the sale of the land was discusses. The neighbours are seated behind Ms Connell Peter Rusin served as an adviser to one of the property owners – there are three of them with Janice Connell serving as the public face at city council meetings. It was her husband, Mike Swartz who issued a veiled threat to council about a law suit. Statements like that always send a chill up the spines of council members who see a large legal bill that they have to explain to voters.
Rusin has said he served as an advisor to Swartz and that the file is closed. If Rusin is to serve as Mayor – he will have to be much more transparent than that.
The Mayor`s decision to sell the property doesn`t square with the concept of a waterfront that is accessible to the public or as a resource to be shared by the public. Burlington is still of the view that wealthy private interests can get what they want from this Council.
It is a very complicated matter but the people of Burlington aren’t stupid – tell them the whole story and they will let you know what they want you to do on their behalf.
By Staff
October 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier in the life of the current council an agreement was signed with Metrolinx and 12 other Ontario municipalities to put together a buying group for transit related equipment.
Burlington residents will benefit from enhanced transit when nine new buses will be delivered to Burlington; they are part of a purchase of 203 buses.
 New buses will be on the streets in 2015 – replacing vehicles that are 12 years old. Each 12-meter bus will carry up to 70 passengers and be fully accessible, helping people better access jobs, family, friends and community services. The buses will also meet the latest emission standards and be equipped with electrical accessories, such as electrically powered oil radiators, to improve fuel efficiency and help reduce costs.
In a statement put out by the province they said: “Building smarter, more integrated transit is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.”
Nice political rhetoric there – now for the reality check.
Doug Brown, chair of Bfast, a local transit advocacy group that pushes the city to improve transit said: “No real news here, as the 10 year capital plan included 9 replacement buses in 2015.
 “Since these are replacement vehicles, there will be no increase in the overall Burlington Transit capacity and the city will continue to be underserved in terms of bus capacity and transit service hours.
The retirement of older (12 years) buses will reduce maintenance costs, and increase reliability.
Funding for these replacement buses comes not from the City, but from the Provincial Gas Tax. Burlington reduced transit’s share of these Gas Tax funds from 30% to 20% in 2013.
Burlington has been part of the group buying process with Metrolinx and other municipalities for a number of years. The large orders resulting from group buying allows the participating agencies to leverage better prices.
Burlington’s MPP, Eleanor McMahon said: “This is great news for transit riders in Burlington. With this partnership, Burlington will save money and provide better service, making transit better for the environment and for the entire community.”
The next time you see our MPP on a bus – let us know – that will be news.
By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
If you are a loyal Burlington Gazette reader and you are using an Android based tablet – you may not get through to us. Someone has hacked into our site and installed a bug of some sort that re-directs people who use an Android device to reach us.
 This is not what we are about. Someone wants us off the air. Libel suits didn’t work. We have people working on the problem. One reader was kind enough to suggest a particular piece of clean-up software that will fix this particular problem and do continual sweeps to catch future attempts to interrupt the flow of news.
We are clearly ticking off someone somewhere. It used to be that people would sue us for libel hoping that would shut us down. Now they are resorting to really sneaky dirty tricks – we must be doing something right.
Legal counsel for the Burlington Air Park has asked us to clarify our comment on who might have hacked into our site. We don’t think the Air Park did this – we have no evidence that they did so.
One reader said: “Since yesterday when I try to open www.burlingtongazette.ca on my Android powered tablet, I’m re-directed to any number of porn sites not your newspaper.
 Someone is using malicious software to re-direct people who use Android driven devices to filthy web sites. “I uninstalled and re-installed Chrome (my browser on the tablet) and still got the same result. I installed a completely different browser (Mozilla Foxfire) and got the same unfortunate redirect result.
This is not happening on my PC computer version of Chrome. When I enter your URL on my computer I get to the Gazette.”
We are grateful for the comments and the alerts. We note that no one has commented on the porn sites they were re-directed to.
We are on top of it – it just takes longer than we expected to source the appropriate software; install it and then give the people who operate the software the permissions they need to get into our server and do their clean up.
By Pepper Parr
October 17, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The only thing I am worried about” said city Clerk Angela Morgan “is possible line ups at the polling stations on election day”.
 City Clerk Angela Morgan signing the 2010 election returns. Morgan is the staff member who oversees the running of the election. She has an experienced staff but when push comes to shove it is Morgan who calls the shots. She has had a couple of awkward calls to make but because her role is close to judicial – her word is the last word.
In 2010 there were five or six places where the line ups were far too long and people had to wait’ said Morgan. We found that a poll should not have more than 3500 people in it – 4000 tops.
In 2010 the voter turn out was 35.6% of those eligible to vote – one of the highest Burlington has had for a municipal election. If that turnout were to reach the 50% + level there would be line-ups
“So we revised many of the polling boundaries and added polling clerks at several of the polling stations – so I am pretty sure we are OK” said Morgan.
Advance polls opened yesterday and will close on Saturday.
Internet voting has been open for a few days – that too closes on Saturday.
Two interesting piece of information. Internet voting is up substantially over last year. Advance polls are up as well.
 Why, many people have asked, does internet voting and advance polls end on the 18th? Because the city then has to prepare the voters list for the election on the 27th. All those people who voted at the Advance poll and on-line have their names taken out of the list that the polling clerks work from.
Could the amount of time be shorter so that more people get to vote on line; perhaps and there are a number of work arounds that can be put in place but on-line voting is new to Burlington and the one thing about what the Clerk’s office does is this – they are cautious because when they rush things and things go wrong – they go really wrong.
Angela Morgan is a cautious woman who gets a lot of complaints about what candidates are doing. “The election starts far too early: said Morgan “but there is nothing we can do about that – the Municipal Act sets out when a person can file papers to be a candidate” and for those who want to create a profile and name recognition – they have close to a year to do that
 Will these seven become lame ducks on October 27th? If just one of them loses their seat – we have a lame duck council. As city Clerk everything Council does has to be signed by her before it is legal. Morgan plays a critical role in the administration of the work council does. On the morning of October 28th she will know what kind of a Council she has for the month of November. Six of the seven members of the current council have to be returned to office or the Clerk is faced with a “lame duck” council that cannot spend more than $50,000 that is not already budgeted for nor can Council hire or fire any of the senior staff.
That lame duck status holds for just a month – when the new Council is sworn in. Is it reasonable to assume that the significant seven will not all be returned? There are two council members who are at risk and a third that is in trouble.
Determining what a candidate can do with what are known as city resources is a problem the clerk has to contend with. “Some are more decent than others” Morgan explained. Some see the rules as something that have to be strictly adhered to – others will stretch the rules as far as they can.
During the campaign a Save the Planet event took place with more than 2,500 cities around the world holding demonstrations. New York city had more than 175,000 people out on the streets. Burlington had about 40 people waving their signs and placards.
The organization that held the event invited the Mayor, a known environmentalist to speak. The original intention was to start the event at the Gazebo in Spencer Smith Park but that is city owned property and Mayor Goldring was not going to speak at that location during an election.
 Mayor Goldring has taken to wearing his chain of office outside the Council chamber recently. That we think was making too literal an interpretation of the rules. Goldring should have put on his chain of office – talked about the environment and what global warming means to all of us and not say a word about the election and the city’s Energy Management Plan.
Ward 2 Councillor Marie Anne Meed Ward rented the Shoreline Room at the Art Gallery of Burlington for her campaign kick-off. The AGB is an arm’s length operation with its own board and while the city owns the building it is run by the AGB board.
 No photo ops for election candidates on this site. Morgan had a conversation with then AGB president Ian Ross but as Morgan put it “I always struggle with situations like this.” Another candidate running against Meed Ward wanted to film some footage at the entrance to the AGB and was told they could not do that; where does one draw the line?
For Angela Morgan – it is all about both enforcing and interpreting the rules – she seems to get it right most of the time.
Morgan, who lives in Hamilton has voted – online
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