 By Pepper Parr
October 1, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The forms needed to apply for financial assistance if your home was flooded on August 4th are now available on the Burlington Community Foundation web site.
During debate at a Council Standing Committee Mayor Goldring made the point that no one is going to be made whole with what they might get from the fund raising that has been done in the community.
Goldring pointed out that the funds are intended for people who were under-insured or un-insured.
That 48 inch colour TV screen is not going to be covered – but the furnace that was under three feet of water can be covered.
The city had previously outsourced the creation of a Flood Relief program to the Burlington Community Foundation because that is what the province required. Monday evening the city approved the appointment of the members of the Flood Disaster Relief Committee.
It’s an impressive committee and while it could not and should not include anyone who is likely to make a claim – there doesn’t appear to be anyone of limited means on the list: Catherine Brady; Kevin Brady; Susan Busby; John Chisholm; Ron Foxcroft; Steven Joyce; Jeff Paiken; Phil Reddon; Michael Shih; Steve Stipsits; Linda Davies; Keith Strong; Dorothy Borovich; Allan Pearson; Ed Hannah; Rick Burgess; Don Smith; Doug Leggat; Scott Barnard; Wayne Hussey and Jeff Valentin.
The list appears just a little too” white”; made up of the “entitled”. Who put this list together and is it reflective of the people of Burlington?
But those are the people in place – so be it.
 Ron Foxcroft, on the right, gives Mayor Goldring a close look during a discussion at the Burlington Community Foundation offices. When Ron Foxcroft was asked to take on leadership of the fund raising he set himself a 100 day target to raise $2 million from the community. The expectation was that Burlington would be given the $2 for every $1 raised in the community – which would make $6 million available for distribution.
As of noon today that figure was at $660,000 – 33% of the target with two banks waiting in the wings for their photo-op.
 The Red Cross reported that 531 homes were likely to need major help and that 271 of these were either un-insured or under insured. They also estimated that it was going to cost something in the order of an average of $18,000 to get homes to the point where they had the fundamentals in place – a furnace that works and washers and dryers.
Councillor Sharman, who can always be relied upon to run the numbers, told his colleagues that he wasn’t certain the numbers he was hearing would work. With 271 homes being given $18,000 that comes to a total of $4,878,000 which is well within the $6 million the city hopes to see available to the BCF for distribution.
 The BCF is in the process of reviewing the short list for an insurance adjuster who be hired to review every claim.
Council authorized the Interim City Manager to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Burlington Community Foundation that will allow the city to cover the cost of support services to the Flood Disaster Relief Committee, including but without limiting services related to the design and implementation of the Flood Disaster Relief Program, fundraising, communications and claims adjudication and settlement.
The city expects it will recover any funds it passes along to the BCF from the provincial government. The city manager is to report back periodically to the Development and Infrastructure Committee as the work of the Flood Disaster Relief Committee and the Burlington Community Foundation progresses.
City council appears to believe that this program will be wrapped up by the end of the year.
There are people in this city who certainly hope so.
 By Pepper Parr
October 1, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The Burlington Lions Club is hosting an all candidates debate Wed. October 1, 7pm at the Lions Club at Pearl and James (471 Pearl St). Candidates for Regional Chair, Mayor, and Ward 2 Councillor will be on hand to talk about their platform, why they are running, and answer written questions from the floor, chosen by the moderator. Candidates for school board trustee will be on hand with information tables, but will not participate in the debate.
 It sounds like a pretty tame approach to getting a solid look at these candidates – adding the council members to the mix means Philip Papadopoulos will also be speaking; we heard from Papadopoulos when he ran for Mayor in 2010
Then adding candidates for the office of Regional Chair will mean an event that spreads the available time over too many people.
 Goldring winning in 2010. Burlingtonians want to hear Mayor Goldring defend his record and some of his controversial decisions and would like to hear if Peter Rusin has anything to bring to the table.
 Peter Rusin – running for the office of Mayor. Rusin is unknown, has never served in an elected office and has no record of any community involvement. Does he have “chops” – could he do the job?
The citizens need an opportunity to listen to these two men and make a decision.
The Lions are to be applauded for hosting the event – it looks as if the audience is going to get to listen to 11 people in one evening running for three levels of public office.
Four candidates running for the ward two Council seat; three candidates running for Mayor and four candidates running for Regional chair.
 By Pepper Parr
October 1, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
When the Performing Arts Centre was first opened there was deep concern amongst the smaller theatrical and performance groups that there would not be a place for them – and during the Heatherington regime – there wasn’t much in the way of “local” talent on that stage.
When Brian McCurdy took over and got some of the problems worked out he began to include local groups in the program.
 Trevor Copp, founder of Tottering Biped Theatre will perform at the Performing Arts Centre for a two week run. Thursday evening First Dance, a significant re-interpretation of that traditional first swing around the dance floor by a freshly wed bride and groom will be performed by Trevor Copp and dance partner Jeff Fox.
Copp is a fine performer, he doesn’t walk – he glides. He has tremendous control over his movements and is a delight to watch. I’ve not actually seen Trevor Copp dance – other than the occasion when he was declared one of Burlington’s BEST a number of years ago. On that occasion he floated out into the middle of the room and made his acceptance comments.
The Gazette will be doing a review of the First Dance – look for it on Friday when Lana Kamaric reports on the performance.
Copp was the person who appeared before city council about two years ago and asked why he, as an artist, could not earn his living in his community. We didn’t know it at the time but that delegation was the first peek at what is an energetic arts community that few knew about.
Following the Copp delegation we saw the creation of the Arts and Culture Collective that speaks on behalf of much of the art community.
 Trevor Copp talks with Angela Paparizo during the unveiling of the Spiral Stella at the Performing Arts Centre last year. That was followed by the first No Vacancy event at the Waterfront Hotel in 2013 – to be followed by a hugely successful second No Vacancy event at the Village Square.
And now Trevor Copp gets to dance on the Performing Arts Centre Stage telling the story about how, a man about to marry his male partner sets about devising their traditional First Dance. Through Ballroom dance and Theatre, the journey of a gay man is explored through the challenge of creating a dance for a ritual that has no history.
The dancing will be superb – what many will not get immediately is the political undertone of the performance. In our society men lead on the dance floor – how does that happen when both dancers are male? Our assumptions get challenged and we find we are facing a “cultural blind spot”.
As Copp was planning his own wedding (which has since ended) all the assumptions had to be deconstructed and a new approach created.
 Trevor Copp, the Burlington actor who mobilized the arts into a Collective makes a point on leadership while Executive Director of the Burlington Museum’s operation listens. This performance has “gay” stamped all over its marketing – a bold and quite unexpected step for Burlington. Would the performance attract the gay community from Toronto and Hamilton?
Copp wasn’t sure. He expects word of mouth will draw the audience and he is delighted that the Performing Arts Centre has given him a two week run. Something also unheard of in this city for a local group.
Copp has performed First Dance in Guelph, Kitchener and Hamilton and in the very near future he will be taking the production to Albania.
He has done between 25 and 30 performances of a production that undergoes constant change.
For those attending the event – there will be some wonderful dancing and a challenge to many of the assumptions we make about marriage and the roles each partner plays.
Copp takes his performance a couple of steps further and has added “Talk Back”; he works at getting into a dialogue with the audience after the performance. Copp has found in the past that people just blurt out a thought or a feeling.
This is tricky stuff – the performer has no idea what will come from the audience – perhaps nothing which makes for an awkward moment.
Copp doesn’t appear in the least deterred by something that might not work out.
This is new, exciting and bold stuff – Brian McCurdy deserves kudos for bringing First Dance to his stage.
October 2 through to the 5th and from the 9th to the 11th. Matinee performances are included. Moderately priced. Tickets can be booked on the Performing Arts web site. Box office 905-681-6000
 By Staff
October 1, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Police have located the missing 74-year-old Brian MANN of Burlington. Brian was located in good health shortly after 6:30 a.m. by a member of the general public.
The Halton Regional Police Service would like the public to assist in locating a missing 74 year-old male, Brian MANN.
On Wednesday, October 1st, 2014, shortly before 3:00 a.m., police were notified that this male had left his residence on Itabashi Way, in the City of Burlington. He was last seen in the area of Atchison Drive at 2:00 a.m. There is concern for his well being.
He is described as male white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a medium build and a bald head. He was wearing a dark green zip up pull over sweater, blue jeans and white runners.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the on-duty Staff Sergeant, in Burlington, at 9905) 825 4747 ext., 2310, or Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-22-TIPS (8477). Also, via the web, at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com, or by texting ‘Tips201’ with your message to 274637 (crimes).
By Pepper Parr
September 30, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Here’s a rich one for you.
Three candidates for the public school board have signed a “pledge: to: “act with the highest level of integrity”.
Doesn’t one just do that when they run for public office?
 School board trustee candidates Joanne Oliver, Mary Dilly and Margo Shuttleworth hold a copy of the pledge they signed. It sounds like a groom saying to his bride at the altar that he won’t cheat on her.
Joanna Oliver, Mary Dilly and Margo Shuttleworth are all running for seats on the school board where the honorarium is at the $15,000 range. Dilly who has been a school board trustee in the past is using election signs asking people to “re-elect” her – a tactic which some see as mi sleading.
To sign a pledge to be transparent and act with integrity while demonstrating the opposite in their campaign does not set a good example to the students they are vying to represent.
“We’re hoping everyone keeps the best interests of kids in mind, and not their own agendas,” said Mary Dilly, a former trustee who is running again in Burlington. She created the Halton version of the pledge with Joanna Oliver, running in Oakville, and Margo Shuttleworth, vying for a seat to represent a different Burlington ward.
“We wanted to make the type of pledge that anyone who is running to be a trustee would want to sign, something open and transparent,” added Shuttleworth.
Looks like an advertising gimmick. Why not talk about the way you will represent the students and their parents should you get elected as a trustee.
There is a reason for calling these people trustees – you are supposed to be able to trust them.
 By Pepper Parr
September 30, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It turned out to be the last council meeting for the lot we elected in 2010 – they did not go out with much in way of glory or respect; they sort of slinked off into the night like people who wear masks and do things they shouldn’t be doing. .
In Burlington the usual process is for Council to meet as a Standing Committee – we have two of them – where Staff Reports are presented and matters debated. Monday evening the Development and Infrastructure Committee met. There was a very good debate and discussion related to the small development on Lakeshore Road where a large bungalow is to be replaced by four custom built homes.
The issue was what this development would have on the character of the community. The Gazette will report on this development later this week.
The discussion ran longer than expected. Burlington’s council has a procedural rule that has things ending at 10:30 pm unless there is a motion to extend for an additional half hour. After that the lights go out.
 Anne and Dave Marsden delegating at a city council meeting she thought should not have taken place. It was with some surprise that media learned there was to be a Special Council meeting immediately after the Standing Committee. This type of thing has been done in the past – usually because there is a pressing matter and the usual 10 day wait time between Standing Committee and Council meetings is waived.
There was nothing pressing about any of the matters covered at the Standing Committee meeting last night – so why the rush?
It turned out that this “Special” Council meeting would be the last for this term of office before the election.
It could have and should have been an occasion when Council members could have paused and reflected on what they had achieved. It has been an interesting four year term. There was quite a bit to be proud of and some hard lessons learned – but instead Council pulled what could be seen as a fast one and held a Council meeting at which they passed matters that had been discussed and debated a mere two and a half hours earlier.
 There was no opportunity for the public to inform themselves on what had taken place at the Standing Committee and appear before council to delegate if they wished.
Anne Marsden, a resident who delegates all too frequently and who has been denied the right to delegate at the Region because she tends to go off on tangents, did serve her city well when she scribbled out a note to the Clerk asking to delegate at this hastily called Special Council meeting.
Marsden is also a candidate for the Office of Mayor and you can bet the house on her haranguing on this issue at every debate during the next four weeks.
Mayor Goldring takes the chair when Council is in session and he advised Ms Marsden that she had five minutes to speak. This observer has seldom seen the Mayor as short and curt with a member of the public.
 Anne Marsden – candidate for the Office of Mayor. Anne Marsden spoke, the Mayor asked Council if there were any questions, there were none and Ms Marsden moved on to her second five minute delegation during which she castigated council for the way it was behaving. And she was not wrong.
There was not a word from the two “liberals” on this council about the shoddy treatment the democratic process had been given. Neither John Taylor nor Marianne Meed Ward said a word.
There are good reasons for creating a period of time between the Standing Committee meetings and the Council meetings where the decisions are made and the bylaws passed. That time gives the public a chance to look at what the “rascals” have done and delegate to Council if there are concerns.
 Marsden was making a fundamental point. The wait period between the Standing Committee and the Council meeting is the only opportunity the public has to be informed and aware of what their elected representatives are doing – “it is a safeguard that belongs to the public” said Marsden. She added that she believed “this council is out of control”.
While some might see it as a stretch – conducting business this way is the thin edge of corrupt practices. Those who are comfortable bending the rules (and we have a couple of those on this Council ) use opportunities like this to let something slip by out of the bright lights of public review.
Council meetings are broadcast on the Cogeco cable TV network. With the Council meeting held so quickly was there an opportunity for Cogeco to know and arrange for the broadcast?
And – finally, who made the decision to re-schedule the Council decision, why was it re-scheduled and how was the public informed about the change?
 The meeting was the last before the public casts their ballots on October 27th – based on the Monday night performance there is little reason to return any of them. Go on line and watch the web cast – see how your Mayor treated a delegation. His appearance is at the very end of the broadcast.
You have a right to expect better than that.
By Pepper Parr
September 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
A month from now it will all be over.
You will know who your Mayor, your city council members and school board trustees are going to be.
Each of the candidates is now, for the most part, in full election mode dropping off literature and pushing signs into lawns.
This election has been slow to get some heat going – the announcement of a candidate for the office of Mayor smartened things up a little. The moment Peter Rusin announced he was in the race, perennial city hall delegator, Anne Marsden saw the opportunity and filed her nomination papers.
While late into the race, and he needs to explain why the late entry, Rusin will bring some energy to every level of the election.
Will there be some surprises? There usually are – the Cam Jackson loss to Goldring in 2010 was a surprise to many and coming third to Carol D’Amelio was a jolt.
Councillor Craven is running a crafty campaign – he is good at it – and unless there is a surge for Katherine Henshell – Craven is at the horse shoe for another term – but that race isn’t a done deal yet.
Ward two is clear – despite the efforts by people who can write big cheques getting behind Kelly Arnott, Marianne Meed Ward has this one locked up.
Ward three – no race there yet. Once again a candidate – Jeff Brooks – has come out very late in the race and has no name recognition and there is no strong reason to defeat John Taylor – other than it is time for a change,
Ward four could be a sleeper. Carol Gottlob is making ground – too soon to tell if she can make enough ground in the time left. Jack Dennison finally said he would take part in the debate that will be held at the Paletta Mansion October 7th. The debate will include the Mayoral candidates as well as the municipal candidates. Could be an interesting evening.
Ward five is a real race. James Smith came very close in 2010 with a much bigger field of candidates. An analysis of the 2010 numbers suggest the incumbent, Paul Sharman has his work cut out for him.
The tight race between Lancaster in ward six made the 2010 election interesting. It will be even more interesting in that ward this time around when there is a real city wide issue being decided in that ward. The Air Park is going to take up a lot of time at city hall and needs to be watched very carefully. Having nine other names on the ballot will make that race one to watch.
 This is the time for the voters to make sure their names are on the voters list – we are hearing stories of some screw up that we are looking into.
There is really no reason not to vote. The opportunity to vote electronically –it is perfectly safe – means you can do it on the way home while on the GO train.
Just don’t vote for the name you recall – the city provides the services you use on a daily basis – do your homework and choose wisely
 By Pepper Parr
September 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON,.
For the incumbents in wards four and five the August flood has become a campaign issue – one they are finding there isn’t all that much they can do about.
 The people whose homes were flooded need some information from their political leaders – has the municipal election made them all mute? The public isn’t seeing a lot of leadership from this lot. The flood certainly took place – and there are some very sad and serious situations – but Council members are restricted in what they can do by the Municipal Act and by the fact that the pipes that direct the water into homes are a Regional responsibility.
Worse – the Region has decided it is not going to meet with the Burlington residents that have serious problems until after the election.
Why is that?
In Burlington, city council has a regular meeting schedule but it can meet almost immediately, at any time at the call of the Mayor.
There are some technicalities – Council members have to be given some notice which can be waived if necessary.
One assumes that the same kind of rules would apply at the Regional level.
So why doesn’t the Regional Chair call a meeting?
Well the Chair isn’t being pressed to call a meeting – and Regional staff don’t appear to want a meeting – so there isn’t going to be a meeting at which the public can delegate.
 Mayor Goldring has recently taken to wearing his Chain of Office outside the Council chamber – will he soon begin to exercise the power and authority that goes with the Chain of Office? The situation for those people in this city whose homes were flooded appears to be close to leaderless.
There just doesn’t seem to be anyone elected to public office who wants to do anything.
Could Mayor Goldring not poll his council members and see if they would support him in a call for a Special meeting of the Regional government?
Could the Mayor not then call his colleague in Oakville, Mayor Rob Burton, and ask him to poll his members and see if they would support a Special Regional meeting.
And could they not deliver a document to the Regional Chair Gary Carr and ask –heck they should be demanding – that a Special meeting of Regional Council be called to tell the people of Burlington what went wrong and what they are doing and use the occasion to let the people of Burlington know what the governments they elected are doing for them.
 Gary Carr took some hard shots as a goal tender; time to take some hard shots as a Regional chair and act on behalf of all his constituents. Chair Gary Carr isn’t very keen on this type of meeting. People tend to get rowdy and noisy and that isn’t the Carr style.
Tough, Chairman Carr – you have a responsibility to let the people you serve know that you are fully aware of their concerns and that you are doing everything you possibly can for the people who pay you.
Time for some leadership.
Salt with Pepper is an infrequent column written by the publisher of the Gazette
By Staff
September 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Voter Identification Notices (VINs) have been mailed to each elector on the voters’ list for Burlington’s 2014 Municipal Election.
The notice provides eligible voters with their elector ID and information about dates, times and locations for voting, including how to vote online.
If there are errors on a Voter Identification Notice, or eligible electors need to be added to the list, citizens should:
Contact the Clerks Department at 905-335-7803 or,
Visit in person at Burlington City Hall, 426 Brant St. from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
There are three voting options for qualified voters:
1. Vote online from Oct. 2 to Oct. 19
2. Vote at an advance poll on Oct. 8 or 18
3. Vote on Election Day, Oct. 27
Eligible voters will be able to cast their ballot online for the 2014 municipal election. To vote online, use your Voter Identification Number to register at www.burlington.ca/election.
Once you have registered, you will receive a link by email to your online voter PIN and will be ready to vote. Online registration for internet voting will be available from Monday, Sept. 29 to Friday, Oct. 17.
Online voting can take place from Thursday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 19.
The city makes the process sound simple – but there are those who are having problems. One resident wrote to say:
After living here and voted in every election I just clicked to find out if I am registered to vote and to find the online voting tools.
I am not registered to vote! Nor my husband!
And the city site refers me to the documentation page.
Apparently I am not alone.
I smell BULLSHIT!
If I have to take one more day off work to verify I am a citizen of Burlington or my husband. I will simply blow my stack!
One more day at city hall to fill out useless forms… seriously…. it the city of Burlington a make work state?
Does this difficulty apply to anyone who has sent a nasty email to mayor”, asks Kennedy.
I will tell my neighbours…… will you tell yours?
Shortly after we published this piece we received an amail from the City Clerk, the person responsible for the administration of the 2014 election. It is set out below.
Mr. Kennedy, below are answers to your questions:
1. There are a number of explanations concerning the “Am I on the List” program. The program requires electors to enter the information exactly as it appears on the Voters List so if anything changed from one entry to another (i.e. spelling of name, street address, caps) you may come up as not on the list. In addition, the street name needs to be provided using the drop down menu so if this feature was not used the first time the system would indicate that you are not on the list. If anyone has questions regarding whether they are on the Voters List they may contact City Hall, or go to any City library.
2. Voter Information Notices were mailed last Thursday and electors should be receiving them today and definitely prior to the start of internet voting on October 2. Registration for Internet voting is available until Oct 17 and you can vote until Oct. 19.
3. Advance poll information has been added to our website and is outlined on all voter information notices. Advance voting will take place on both October 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and October 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All polls are city wide so you can vote at any of the 3 polls including the Burlington Senior’s Centre, Mapleview Mall and Haber Recreation Centre.
Thank you for bringing to our attention that the advance voting day information is not easily found on our website. We will ensure that this is fixed.
Angela Morgan, City Clerk, City of Burlington
If you are qualified to vote and your name is on the Voters’ List, you may vote before Election Day at an advance poll. City-wide advance voting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following locations:
Burlington Seniors’ Centre, 2285 New St.
Mapleview Shopping Centre, 900 Maple Ave.
Haber Recreation Centre, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
All eligible Burlington voters can vote at any one of the city-wide advance poll locations.
Eligible voters are:
A Burlington resident or property owner, the spouse of an owner or resident.
A Canadian citizen, who is at least 18 years of age, and not prohibited from voting under any law.
By Staff
September 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
They’ve done it every year for the past 17 years. The cottage they live in and work out of is located on Beach Blvd in Hamilton – but because it is more like a part of Burlington than Hamilton (except for the taxes) they seem like local people.
 Cora Brittan was the calligraphist who did the work for the first Royal Reading presentation to Prince George on the occasion of his first birthday. Royal Reading was a collection of greetings from the people of Burlington.  They are both artists. She is petite, he has a pony tail. They winter in Mexico and usually rent their home while they are south.
They are not wealthy people – they just live their lives and do their art.
Cora has a well-developed calligraphy skill and did the inscriptions for Royal Reading, the presentation the Gazette made to Prince George on the occasion of his first birthday.
On a weekend in the middle of October – 18th and 19th – Cora and Eric Brittan will host their 17th annual Open House art sale. The event will run from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
 Much of Cora Brittan’s work has a light, whimsy, almost magical touch to it. Their home is next to what used to be the Bell Cairn Public school but is now the Training Centre for the Provincial Correctional Service located on Beach Blvd. Cross the canal and swing into Beach Blvd.
The neighbourhood has a rich history. There was a time when the Blvd was being used by heavy trucks – mothers blocked the road with their baby carriages to stop that kind of traffic.
They do things differently in Hamilton.
By Staff
September 29, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
 Ishar Thiara left the stage last Wednesday evening shortly after delivering his opening remarks. He left his jacket on the back of the chair he was using. We assumed he was going to return shortly.
In a statement from family we were informed that: “Mr. Thiara has been advised by his medical provider that he needs to take some time to ensure fast recovery. At this time he will be resting until his health permits.”
We wish Mr. Thiara a speedy recovery.
By Carol Gottlob
September 29, 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.
Zoning and intensification seem to be the buzz words to get citizens and developers fired up on both sides of the issue. Developers persistently remind us that Burlington has a provincial mandate to meet regarding intensification.
There is a growing Ontario population that needs options for places to live. We get that. The numbers: Current targets call for a minimum number of new housing units to be added to the built-up area between 2015 and 2031 as 8,300.
The intensification mandate also speaks to the intent of building responsibly vis a vis existing mature neighbourhoods, so it’s not a carte blanche to simply build out without thought to consequences of high density population, not to mention affordable housing. Consideration must be given to the impact a larger population would have on public transit, traffic and road infrastructure, and social services.
 Two tower project proposed for Appleby Mall location – 16 and 11 storey structures. That Official Plan is intended to protect, preserve and help Burlington grow responsibly. I believe one of the issue with our planning is the current zoning by-laws which are too large a zoning designation, too generalized a description and not sufficiently specific to reflect the needs of the prospective sub communities within current designated zones.
These by-laws are typically set as minimums that the developers are pushing and the reality is these minimums today do not accurately reflect these sub-communities’ neighbourhoods, their character, their streetscapes or setbacks. For this reason we are seeing a multitude of sub-communities within these ‘grand zones’ rise up against ‘Monster Home’ and ‘High Rise’ development.
When I am out talking to people I hear their stories and their fears: One example of such a conversation was relating to over building on lot sizes and the impact it has to the neighbourhood character. Potential requests for adjustment to by-law zones could be a change to the side lot setback- in other words how close to the property line a person could build.
Current bylaws stipulate no closer than 3 meters (9.8ft), but the request is to move a new dwelling to 2 meters (6ft). Seems minimal on face value, but when the houses in the immediate vicinity are actually on average 4.5 meters (15ft), the new home being so close to the existing property can be daunting.
The results become very drastic to privacy, notwithstanding the impact of precedence setting when bylaws are ‘excepted’. One can quickly appreciate what a Monster Home’s impact is to a neighbourhood adorned by smaller homes on larger treed lots. It also has long reaching implications of clear cutting in the absence of what one may feel are meaningful tree by-laws.
Clearly the citizens’ needs are not being met with generalized zoning minimums that don’t reflect their sub communities’ character, or their neighbourhood needs for responsible growth. I also don’t believe developers want to lose time and money investing with planners and representation and delays going to Committee of Adjustment hearings every time they want to build; it’s just bad business.
 Indian Point underwent a character study that was abandoned. Roseland waiting for its study to be completed. This past year council has been requested to participate in numerous neighbourhood character studies (Roseland, Indian Point, Shore Acres) in an effort to offset this imbalance in the current Official Plan and subsequent zoning bylaws. Citizens are screaming to address this with expedience but the process has been way too slow, without meaningful output for these neighbourhoods or the developers.
So the two parties continue to be at odds with the absence of reflective bylaws, and some developers leveraging the intensification needs as opportunities to build big, build out and, build often while they can. We need to do better for these communities. Until the rules by which all parties’ interests are best served and enforced with some sense of consistency, we will continue to see these disputes.
Burlington is also suffering a significant imbalance in its Citizen Tax Base. We are currently 75% residential and only 25% commercial. So while we are focused on building out residential to meet this provincial mandate, we are not keeping pace with the city’s need for commercial build out. We are hemorrhaging in our ability to meet the service needs of our community. Our transit services are failing with systemic issues that we are currently only addressing through route changes, or worse, route removals and no Transit Master Plan to resolve any of it. Our main thoroughfares are congested with traffic and getting around town is becoming more and more problematic.
 Carol Gottlob, an English as a Second language teachers looked at the candidates that had nominated themselves in ward four and came to the conclusion she could do the job as well if not better than any of them – and she had no time for the incumbent. with no experience at city hall, no community experience she filed her papers and is now running hard against a 20 year member of council. Of such races are legends made. I’m hearing you residents of ward 4, and I want you to know I’m ready to advocate for you. It’s time for change, time for an Official Plan that better reflects the needs of residents and still satisfies the provincial mandates; a plan to better address the Burlington of today as well as tomorrow, one that should be reflective of the attributes that continue to attract people to our city, and we should be wary of continuing to trade on these attributes for development projects.
We need a Transit Master Plan to address the growing population, the increase in traffic, and ensure we have a strategy to have sufficient support services. We have been developing our Residential Tax Base, but at what cost? Ignoring the rest of the things our city needs to support our growing Burlington?
On the cusp of our build out, one candidate in our ward is suggesting now we should “Build Up”, but how we move forward now matters more than ever if we are to preserve the values of our environment, our character, and our city’s culture. We need projects that make sense for our community, not just today, but long term.
Links:
Maranatha project has many opposed: council approves the project, Mayor believes it is the right thing to do.
Indian Point character study.
By Pepper Parr
September 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
You know what those geese do – don’t you?
 Geese on a church lawn getting ready for lunch. Now imagine a flock of geese who discover a large collection of apples that have fallen to the ground. And picture a spot where there is space for those geese to walk around and not be bothered by a lot of people. Is there anything safer for geese than a church lawn?
All this has come together at St. Christopher`s church on Guelph Line just south of Prospect. The church provides the lawn, the neighbouring apartment building provides the apple trees – and the geese think they have died and gone to heaven – what with all those apples to dine on.
The geese do leave a lot of gooey stuff on the driveway into the church and the superintendent of the apartment building has said he would like to cut the trees down.
That brought Melissa Tervit into the picture. Ms Tervit heads up Growing and Sharing Food in Halton and she wasn`t on for the cutting of trees just because the apples were following to the ground and providing lunch for the geese.
 All those “free fall” apples have attracted geese. Does that mean the trees have to come down? I had an “interesting” chat with the property manager of the apartment buildings beside St. Christopher’s Anglican church yesterday while I was harvesting the apples from the trees, said Ms Tervit. He informed me that he intends to have the trees cut down later this week since the windfall apples are attracting too many geese. I suggested that he perhaps pick up the windfalls which would remove the lure for the geese. He wasn’t too keen on that idea, feeling that it was the fault of the trees directly that the geese were camping out on the driveway. He asked me if I had any power to stop him from cutting down the trees. I replied that I did not, however he may find himself the topic of an article in the Gazette.
Tervit wasn`t going to be deterred. She has found a group of Girl Guides who will gather up the apples, wash them up and get them to the Food Bank.
Will this arrangement work out? We will let you know. We`re still trying to get to that superintendent. You can never find those guys when you want them.
By Doug Brown
Chair: Accessible Sustainable Transit
September 28, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
I wasn’t at the recent Ward 6 All-Candidates Meeting – but transit did come up as an issue.
I was very surprised at Councillor Blair Lancaster’s comment that “Council has made serious improvements in congestion and transit ridership, since the introduction of its transit master plan,”
Under this Council, we have seen service cut to northeast Burlington with one hour waits during weekdays between rush hours. Ridership is down and car congestion is up.
 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. More puzzling still is her comment on the “introduction of the transit master plan” The City aborted the Transit Master Plan before it could be completed, so that the City of Burlington has been without a long-term transit plan.
For the past two years, staff and Council have made extensive arbitrary schedule changes, causing confusion to bus users, and resulting in service cuts to Ward 6 and Burlington’s northeastern communities.
 Blair Lancaster – almost holding court with her constituents at a corn roast at the Air Park. I don’t understand how Councillor Lancaster can talk of the “introduction of its master plan” as Councillor Lancaster was on the Steering Committee for the Transit Master Plan study and was present when staff dismissed the Steering Committee and aborted the study.
Councillor Lancaster also joined her fellow Councillors in voting for a $500,000 annual cut in transit’s share of the Provincial Gas Tax funding, and for the transit service cuts in the “Interim Transit Service Plan”
By Pepper Parr
September 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Story has been updated
The proposal is for a two tower structure on the north side the Appleby Village which is on the north-east corner of the New Street – Appleby Line intersection.
 First Capital did a total makeover of the Appleby mall site a number of years ago – they now want to add some residential to a part of the property. The site has undergone a major upgrade in the past two years and the developer wants to do some intensification. The two buildings would be situated on the north side of the property – fronting on Pinedale.
Anyone can take a building proposal to the city. The bigger developers know the rules; they know that studies have to be done and they know the process.
In this instance, First Capital, the developers, will have read the provincial government policies and be fully aware of the nuances of the provincial Places to Grow policy and they will have hired planners to write the justification reports so that when it is taken to the city hall staff will have a very clear idea as to what the developer proposes to do with their property.
Artists rendering of the two tower apartment complex with one 16 storey and a second 11 storey building that will have underground parking. This development requires both a change to the current zoning and a change to the Official Plan – both tend to send citizens up a wall. Many don’t understand how a developer can ask for a change in an Official Plan.
Director of Planning Bruce Krushelnicki will explain, as he has done hundreds of times before, that the Official Plan is a dynamic document that is in place to set out what the city said it wants at a point in time.
Developers however are encouraged to bring ideas and proposals to the city. Burlington wants growth – the citizens say we need that growth. When a developer comes along with a proposal the response is often – “well we didn’t mean that kind of growth”.
Part of the process of getting these development ideas before city council for a decision is a Statutory Public Meeting which has been scheduled for November 18th 2014.
 Ward six candidate James Smith beleives the statutory public meeting should be moved back to a date when the new council can make the decision on this project. That’s a problem for ward five city council candidate James Smith. The new council will be sworn in on December 1st and he wants the Statutory meeting to take place after the new council is in place.
In his letter to Mr. Krushelnicki, Smith said: “As you know this proposed development represents a very large change to the design fabric of the site and the adjacent neighbourhood; to say that this proposal is controversial in our East End neighborhood’s is something of an understatement.”
Smith argues that tabling the Statutory meeting until early 2015 would facilitate important criteria of the City of Burlington’s Engagement Charter, especially when it comes to both Accountability, and Capacity Building.
Turns out candidate Smith didn’t have some of it right. The planner on this file contacted the Gazette and explained that
“we are just starting the required review. One thing that should be clarified is that the November 18 meeting we have scheduled at Robert Bateman High School is NOT the required statutory meeting under the Planning Act.
It is a neighbourhood meeting that the City is holding above and beyond the standard Planning Act requirements, but consistent with our policy to have a meeting for public discussion on major applications prior to any staff reports going to Committee/Council.
I only raise this because I don’t want people in the community to get confused and show up on Nov 18th with expectations that formal decisions are being made on the applications that night and/or that it is their only chance to provide input.
The statutory meeting will be scheduled for a later date, dependent on the file processing timelines and Planning Act requirements, and notification will be provided of this meeting.
In addition, in the case of these applications it is anticipated that staff will be presenting an information report to Committee/Council for consideration before coming back at an even later date with some type of recommendation report.
Smith points out that the City’s engagement charter states: “The City of Burlington will encourage the ability of its citizens and stakeholders to effectively participate in the development and implementation of engagement processes with respect to issues and decisions that affect their lives and their community”.
 An apartment complex to the east consists of three towers – each 11 storeys high. Smith also points out that the white signs that asks citizens to visit a website for a meeting in two months is not compliant with the ideal set out in the concept of either Clear Language or Early & Widespread Notification.
“I’m critical under the Clear Language provision, as information signs posted do not have a clear English explanation; only a legalese description; citizens should have both. Widespread notification is deficient, for three reasons: the poor location of information signs, – facing streets that have been under construction for some time, the lack of information signs available in the Plaza itself and lack of illustrations on the information signs.
Besides wanting the public meeting date changed Smith adds some comments on the development proposal. “The site plan as proposed further exacerbates the deficiencies of the present site as it pertains to Pedestrian, Bicycle, Transit and Vehicle traffic flow, nor does the plan address the lack of street frontage of the businesses on this site.”
 Public art is set at the north west corner of the Village. Goats. For the record, said Smith, I am a supporter of the Province’s Places To Grow policy and firmly believe we need to intensify some of our underused sites in Burlington. However; given the examples in the province’s policy guide and the fact that the City of Burlington does not have hard design guidelines for this kind of rezoning application or for so-called Transit Friendly Design, I believe we need to take some time, as a city, to produce such documents in collaboration with our citizens and the development industry.
This way we can get the kind of intensification our citizens can generally agree upon and avoid long, and costly protracted battles between citizens, the city and the development community.
 South elevation of the two proposed towers. The developer sets out details on the location: Appleby Village consists of seven (7) buildings with a variety of retail/service commercial/office uses, including a Fortinos grocery store, Home Hardware, Rexall Pharma Plus, LCBO and the Beer Store. The Gross Building Floor Area (“GBFA”) within Appleby Village is approximately 20,056 square metres (215,881 square feet).
The 6.6 hectare (16.3 acre) site is bound by, on the immediate north by Pinedale Avenue, where there are three condominium high-rise buildings known as Pinedale Estates which were built in 1989. The three buildings are each 12 storeys and provide a total of 338 dwelling units.
To the south and east of Pinedale Estates, there are two elementary schools (Ascension Catholic School and Frontenac Public School) Robert Bateman High School) with associated parkland.
 Smith would like to see storefront access to the street for those who walk – just about all the retail locations open out to the inner parking lot. The Provincial Policy Statement, Places to Grow, states: “it is in the interest of all communities to use land and resources wisely, to promote efficient development patterns, protect resources, promote green spaces, ensure effective use of infrastructure and public service facilities and minimize unnecessary public expenditures.” It is a key Provincial policy to promote land use
patterns that are transit-supportive and to accommodate a range of intensification opportunities.
Density is almost always an issue for the people of Burlington. Current targets call for a minimum number of new housing units to be added to the built-up area between 2015 and 2031 as 8,300.
The phasing for these units are: 2,525 by 2016; 2,758 between 2017 and 2021; 2,669 between 2022 and 2026 and finally 2,659 between 2027 and 2031 by which time we will all be looking at a much different Burlington.
By Pepper Parr
September 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
There are a couple of people in north Burlington who were delighted to learn that the provincial government is to re-introduce anti-SLAPP legislation.
In a statement issued yesterday the government said the Ministry of the Attorney General would pursue the re-introduction of legislation to protect the public from lawsuits intended to discourage public participation.
 From the right: Monte Dennis, Ken Woodruff, Vanessa Warren, Roger Goulet, city general manager Scott Stewart. Lawyer Ian Blue, who defended the city in the Air Park case and staff lawyer Blake Hurley SLAPP is a strategic lawsuit against public participation which is what Monte Dennis and Vanessa Warren believe Vince Rossi is doing to them with his $100,000 demand for exemplary damages for comments they made and words they wrote about the landfill dumping on the Air Park property and plans that may be made to the air park.
The provincial government wants to promote Fairness and Access to Justice by focusing on the delivery of legislative and systemic initiatives that promote fairness and access to the justice system for Ontarians.
For Dennis and Warren the matter has relevance. At this point in time there is no such thing as SLAPP legislation – they face a simple libel case.
Roger Goulet, a leading participant in the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition (RBGC) wants everyone to get behind this change. What difference new legislation will make in the Dennis, Warren case is not clear – unless the legislation is made retroactive – which is highly unlikely.
The Gazette and its publisher were also sued for libel – they are not relying on the SLAPP argument as a defence.
 By Staff
September 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The Regional police would really like to get their hands on four people who failed to show up in court.
 All four are wanted by the HAlton Regional Police Service. Charged back in June in connection to numerous day time break and enters in Burlington and Oakville the four are now wanted after they failed to re-attend court.
On May 14th 2014 at approximately 11:50 am, a residence located on Lakeshore Road in Burlington was broken into by two unknown culprits who were operating a beige Dodge Caravan.
Security video at the residence showed a female culprit attending the front door carrying flyers. She knocked on the front door and after receiving no response, walked towards the side of the residence where entry was gained through a basement window.
The female culprit then exited the front door and walked down the driveway when the beige van pulled in front of the residence. Both culprits then entered the home through the front door where they proceeded to the master bedroom and broke into locked drawers where they stole a large amount of jewelry before leaving the home in the van.
Members of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau identified suspects and located the vehicle believed to have been involved in the break and enter.
On June 25th 2014, police conducted mobile surveillance on the suspects who were now operating a grey Honda Odessey van.
Throughout the day, the suspects were followed to various affluent neighbourhoods in Burlington and Oakville. On several occasions, two females were seen leaving the vehicle on foot carrying flyers. They were observed walking up to several homes and into back yards before returning to the van.
At approximately, 1:53 PM the vehicle was stopped by police and three persons were arrested. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of stolen jewellery valued at approximately $60,000 which was stolen during a break in on The Links Dr. in Oakville.
Investigators have also executed search warrants at two Etobicoke residences and seized a quantity of jewellery, cash, clothing worn and a vehicle used during the May 14th 2014 break and enter on Lakeshore Rd. in Burlington.
During the search warrant, an additional arrest was made in relation to possession of property obtained by crime.
Arrested and held for bail are:
Janina FERKO (66 yrs) of Dixon Rd. in Etobicoke
• Break, Enter and Theft (Two Counts)
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
• Attempted Break and Enter (Five Counts)
Jacek JEDYNAK (27 yrs) of Blackfrair Ave. in Etobicoke
• Break, Enter and Theft (Two Counts)
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
• Attempted Break and Enter (Five Counts)
Sandra TALAR (26 yrs) of Weston Rd. in Etobicoke
• Break, Enter and Theft (Two Counts)
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
• Attempted Break and Enter (Five Counts)
Robert TALAR (66 yrs) of Dixon Rd. in Etobicoke
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000
It is unusual for the police to post pictures of people who did not appear in court for a hearing while on bail. The Regional police must really want these four culprits.
By Walter Byj
September 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
On Wednesday night the Burlington Gazette held its first all municipal candidates’ debate; it was held in ward six where there will be a total of 10 candidates on the ballot. Two of the ten were absent while one left shortly after the beginning.
Joan Little, a Hamilton Spectator columnist and Kurt Koster, a north Burlington resident and one of the founders of BurlingtonGreen wrote the questions that were put to the panelists.
On the stage were: Angelo Bentivegna, Jim Curran, Pardeep Dosanjh, Jennifer Hlusko, Blair Lancaster, Jivan Sanghera, Ishare Thiara who left early due to illness and Vanessa Warren.
There were about 120 people ence was approximately 100 with many, but not all, being cheerleaders’ for their candidate. Not sure how many minds where changed during the debate.
 After opening remarks from the candidates the panelists questioned the candidates on a number of topics allowing each candidate time to response. Unfortunately with the large number of candidates and the limited amount of time, it was difficult to always get detailed responses.
That notwithstanding, the questions and responses did offer an insight into not only the candidates, but why they were running and what their goals would be. Though not a Toronto style debate with name calling and heckling, there were a few zingers thrown.
Why each of the candidates was running was quite apparent throughout the evening, they were not happy with the current councillor. Not returning phone calls or responding to the needs of residents was a major complaint of Lancaster. However, she did respond by pointing to her long list of accomplishments as shown on her brochure and the fact that when addressing issues, one needs finesse and careful negotiations.
The candidates were asked if they would be full time councillors. Most definitely was the response back. They felt that being a councillor was a full time job and that they would treat it as such by being available 24/7. Jennifer Hlusko said the $120,000 Councillors are paid (they are actually paid under $100,000 – half of which comes from the Region and half from the city. They also get pension contributions and health benefits from the city) was far more than she earned as a trustee and she treats that job as full time.
 Angelo Bentivegna chats with Jivan Sanghera after the debate. Should a Councillor accept political donations and if so, from whom? Recognising that money is essential to run a campaign some stated that there was a difference accepting money from friends and relatives and from developers. Each candidate had a different response to this question.
Hlusko said she has never accepted money in the past and only recently accepted one donation which she says will be her last. Bentivegna, Curran, Dosanjh and Warren have accepted donations from friends and relatives but stressed not from developers. It could be a conflict if the developer addresses council. Sanghera stated he would not accept donations but would rather people donate to the flood relief fund. Only Lancaster had a slightly different approach. She felt that a donation of $750 (which is the maximum that one can donate) is not that great of an amount and would not sway a Councillors opinion. Anyone can donate to a campaign, she said and that developers are important and that we must respect people that donate.
In discussing ward 6, Angelo Bentivegna felt that it was comprised of four distinct areas, Headon Forest, Millcroft, Alton and rural Burlington with each having their particular needs. He felt that the Alton community felt isolated and should be brought into Burlington. Resident Fareem Samji (current Canadian Women’s Long Drive Champion) asked the Councillors how this could be done. This resulted in a variety of answers. Jennifer Hlusko reaches her community via blogs and twitter on a daily basis.
Jim Curran feels that the community is isolated from city hall and is not a geographical problem.
This brought the discussion to Dundas Street and the fear that it is an accident waiting to happen. There is increased pedestrian and car traffic along Dundas Street and although the city can label the area near the high school as a “community safety zone”, this was met with apprehension by many of the Councillors.
 The traffic on Dundas is seen as an accident waiting to happen. Is there a solution? The candidates didn’t agree on one. Speeding appears to be a common occurrence here. There was near consensus that a pedestrian walkway should be constructed to ensure safety for all residents crossing Dundas. They do not want a tragedy to affect change. However, at a cost of $1.2 million, this will not happen in the immediate future. Dundas is a Regional Road; decisions as to what gets done are made at the Regional level.
Bike lanes: everyone is in favour of having more, but what kind and how to pay for them? Do we want bike lanes for the serious commuter or for casual biking? Once that has been determined, how do you pay for them? That is the $2 million question. Lancaster said it would cost $2 million for a small section of road and that we should install the bike lanes when the roads are redone.
Bentivegna wanted additional studies before further action while the balance of the field wanted immediate action.
Sanghera suggested that corporate Burlington pitch in. He asked “why can’t Tim Horton’s, for example, sponsor a bike lane”? This was echoed by the others while Hlusko felt there could be efficiencies at city hall that could result in additional funds for bike lanes.
There was the obligatory discussion of the airpark fiasco with all candidates stressing that this will not be another Buttonville (more than just a recreational airport). None of the candidates would support further expansion. Lancaster suggested that the city hire an aviation consultant whose expertise would guide council with the potential problems that the airpark could present to the city. A rhetorical question by Sanghera “How did the first truckload happen?” received loud applause by the audience.
All candidates were disappointed with transit within ward six as development and transit routes do not appear to be in sync. “We tend to build first and the get transit to serve” said Warren. Lancaster added that the city is making progress in this area – looking at smaller buses. She added that ridership is up by 15%. This was disputed by Sanghera and Bentivegna.
 Transit was a debate question: How much and how does it get paid for? “Transit is calculated by boards and not by ticket sales” said Bentivegna. One ticket sales could easily be two rides. All were concerned that seniors should get the transit that they deserve and with an aging population in ward six, transit should be upgraded to meet these needs by increasing the number of stops and by reducing fares for seniors.
How do we engage younger voters? – a question in any election. The use of social media such as twitter and Facebook was a most common reply while Dosanjh and Curran felt that parents have a certain responsibility in having their children be more politically aware.
The recent ice storm and flooding was covered with all candidates stressing that we need to be more prepared for these types of events and that our infrastructure needs to be upgraded.
Many topics were covered and many words spoken. Reading candidate literature gives one a certain perspective on the candidates and seeing them live in a debate forum adds an additional layer to the individual. They all seem to use the same buzzwords such as concern for seniors and our children but decisions should be done based on a multitude of facts and not emotion.
For example, concern for seniors is important, but we should remember that all seniors are not alike. As recently reported in Macleans magazine, today’s seniors are much more active and wealthier than previous generations. Before we start spending more money on transit for ward 6 seniors, we should totally understand the type of senior in this ward and how many would use increased and cheaper transit.
 This is the part of Burlington the environmentalists want to keep the highway makers away from. The building of an additional highway through north Burlington was not discussed yet all candidates were concerned of our current traffic woes both within Burlington and throughout the GTA. All candidates want more employment within Burlington, but with all candidates not wanting to change our current urban and rural boundaries, we face either more dense housing within Burlington or additional traffic into the city.
With a population projection of 6.6 million by 2025 within the GTA how many of these would be travelling the QEW corridor and can we handle the traffic?
 Councillor Lancaster got herself attached to the Air Park in a way that many north Burlington residents did not appreciate. As the evening concluded, the panelists said that they were impressed with the quality of candidates for ward six. It would be great if we could take a piece of each candidate and have a super Councillor.
Angelo Bentivegna has done his homework but was proposing too many meetings and consultations. Jim Curran seemed to lack a certain dynamism when addressing the audience. Pardeep Dosanjh showed deep support for seniors and children, but did not have a strong platform for all the other issues. Jennifer Hlusko has the political background as a trustee and has a sound knowledge of how government operates. Blair Lancaster, the incumbent, has experience on her side. The main problem here is was she responsive enough to her constituents and can she improve on this in the future.
Jivan Sanghera was a pleasant surprise as he had a strong presence and offered some unique solutions to the needs of ward six. However, name recognition is low within the ward.
Vanessa Warren entered the race initially because of the airpark situation and presents herself well in a public forum. The main question is will she be able to give equal time to the rest of the ward.
Nine people wanting to replace the incumbent was a political message of its own.
Walter Byj is a frequent contributor to the Gazette
 By Pepper Parr
September 27, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Air Park is the most important issue in ward six however it really didn`t get the debate it needed. As publisher of the Gazette I did not choose the questions the panelists asked. I did choose the panelists.
 An early photograph of the Airpark property. There are now two runways and a lot more landfill now than there was when this picture was taken. The lines indicate the extent of the Air Park holdings. The Air Park is not just ward six issue – it is a city wide issue – what happens to that land and that operation will define for a long, long time what rural Burlington looks like in the years ahead.
Our task is not to decide the issues but to help in defining what the issues are. We have some very active (and opinionated readers in whom we delight) who take part in this process.
We got the following from a resident:
I’m a resident of Ward 6, and I was at the debate the other night. One issue I thought might come up was one that has previously been raised by Ms. Hlusko concerning Ms. Warren’s potential conflict of interest regarding the Airpark. Since she has stated in the past that Airpark expansion would negatively impact her equestrian business, there does seem to be a real possibility that she would have to recuse herself from discussion of any airpark expansion plans. It would indeed be ironic if she were elected to council, but was then unable to participate in the issue that brought her to local prominence in the first place.
Do you know if Ms. Warren has ever addressed this issue? I think those who support her with the thought that she would be their champion on the airpark issue should get some clarification on whether her role would be restricted.
 Tonnes of landfill were dumped on the Air Park property without the required permits. The public does not know where much of that land fill came from. The Air Park owners claimed they were regulated by the federal government and did not have to comply with municipal bylaws, Justice Murphy said they were wrong and that they did have to comply with city bylaws. How they comply is what your council is going to decide. We asked Ms Warren to respond and she sent the following:
A Buttonville-like expansion of the Burlington Airpark would negatively affect everyone living in Burlington, including my home and farming operation. The 5 year unregulated fill operation that I fought through the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition and the Ontario Soil Regulation Task Force negatively affected numerous families and properties in Ward 6, and may yet effect all of us if the fill is left untested.
Every decision a City Councillor makes also effects them personally as a resident of this City; what they may not do is have a pecuniary interest in the outcome of a decision. I will in no way financially benefit from a Burlington Airpark that is environmentally safe, or that remains feasible within the context of the Greenbelt Protected Countryside that it has operated on for the last 60 years.
As Ward 6 Councillor, I would never recuse myself from anything to do with the Burlington Airpark, and I would continue to advocate for environmental and social justice on this file. Jennifer Hlusko is plain wrong on this one.
There you have it – two opinions. You now have to think about what you want your Burlington to look like. We would like to add this: the Air Park would not be the issue it is had Ms Warren not brought it to public attention.
And you might want to ask why Vince Rossi is suing Ms Warren (and the publisher of the Gazette) for libel.
Salt with Pepper is a column written from time to time by Pepper Parr the publisher of the Gazette
By Pepper Parr
September 26, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Was it a good debate? Not bad. It was the first the Gazette has sponsored and perhaps the only ward level debate the city will see – however we understand there might be a ward level debate in Aldershot.
We will certainly do this type of thing again – maybe not this election. Events like this take time and with our limited resources – time is one of the things we never have enough of.
On the stage at the theatre at the Hayden High School were the following: Angelo Bentivegna; Jim Curran; Pardeep Dodanjh; Jennifer Hlusko; Blair Lancaster; Jivan Sanghera; Ishar Thiara and Vanessa Warren.
Mina Wahidi had to excuse herself from the debate – her Mother was taken to hospital. Ishar Thiara had to leave the stage part way through the evening; he had become ill and Shoaib Shams didn`t show up.
Email from people we look upon as reliable, informed observers who have served the city in some form in the past and are aware of what happens at city hall, sent in some comments.
None of the comments came from people working on a campaign. The contributor asked to remain anonymous – there is a lot of that going around in Burlington. People like to comment but seldom want to put their name beside their comments.
We pass these along to you along with our own observations. Later this week our reporter Walter Byj will complete his write of the three hour event.
“I was expecting to see some strong drive for change, but all I saw was room temperature water, except for Warren’s opening remark about the number of candidates being a good indicator of how well Lancaster has done her job.
Bentivegna – wants to do more studies – there are already too many studies – need some action!
No such thing as ‘try harder’, said Bentivegna, “everyone does the best they can with the skills and abilities they have.”
Gazette comment: Should Bentivegna be elected he will choose to be very tight with senior staff. He very much wants to be part of what he sees as the people who run the decision. Bentivegna believes he can help the Mayor be a better mayor by offering him direction and guidance.
Curran – weak communicator – hard for him to string more than 5 words together – could not hold my attention.
Gazette comment: Curran was lack lustre. He however believes he has more boots on the ground that anyone else and that he can win this race. Time will tell.
Dosanjh – save your time and drop out.
Gazette comment: At one point she began to believe what she was saying – but lost any credibility she might have had when she asked another candidate how much he had donated to the flood victim account.
Hlusko – acted like she did not want to be there –
“indignant, self-righteous and out of touch
“too much anger when responding to the early question when she said ‘which question do you want me to answer’
“strange loud positive response from the crowd when she said that…
“and strange response re being set-up over Greenbelt question and being set-up over delegating to Council.
“SHE built Hayden school’ – her quote – Government of Ontario funding had nothing to do with it, nor did demographics or the province’s school funding formula? If force of personality could get a school built, why did Millcroft not have a school for 8 or 9 years? Because of the funding formula…. she was on duty when it was built, but to take credit, I don’t think that is a valid claim
Angelo Bentivegna and Jivan Sanghera exchange comments after the debate “Burlingtonians have deep pockets and are willing to pay for parks, road repairs” – paraphrased – Easy to say when her family brings in north of $200k and her peers working for the school boards make $90k plus. Example: Two husband and wife school board employees near me. First set – her teaching 10 years ~ $80k / year. Him, school admin ~ $120k / year. Second Set – him, school admin ~ $170k, her teaching 30+ years $90k+. If Hlusko comes out of her circle of friends/peers she will see there are many people in Burlington who struggle to get by or live paycheck to paycheck.
Gazette comment: Hlusko had the best grasp of the numbers than anyone else – she knew her file and while she is a little quirky – (She might be a Mensa.) she knows what she is talking about. We saw her as snappy in a very positive way.
We don’t share the view of our observer.
Lancaster – – she is so meek, silent and vacant in Council, I was surprised she skated so well on thin ice
Spoke of building coalitions among Councillors but not one specific example – no one called her on it…
Spoke of ‘her’ ward when talking about other Councillors ‘interfering’ with citizen calls to other Councillors (re Code of Conduct)
It is the Ward she represents, not a Ward she possesses.
Gazette comment: Lancaster was Lancaster – she described Warren as an activist – a word that left a bad taste in Lancaster’s mouth, but she gave as good as she got.
She represents a demographic that is older but they love her and if enough of them stick by her – she could make it back. Her support is solid – the question is – just how deep is that support.
When the incumbent has nine people running against her it has to be a message she hears. One didn’t get the impression she has heard the message,
Sanghera – did his research, spoke well – needs to find a differentiator to succeed – potential – maybe not this year.
Gazette comment: We were very impressed with this young man. He spoke very well, had his fingers on the facts and came across, to us anyway, as balanced and rational. Were we to live in ward six – he would be our choice.
Warren – very well prepared, confident – may be the ultimate winner – if she gets a presence south of 407
 Gazette comment: Warren is always well prepared. She is the best delegator we have seen at both city hall and the Region, her research is close to impeccable. And she is an activist – Burlington needs more like her. She just didn’t come across as a person who could find the middle ground and understand that politics is the art of the possible. A city is made up of a collection of interests and all those interests have to be contended with and considered.
We are not sure Warren has the patience to sit through those hour upon hour Standing Committee meetings talking about parking spaces and property setbacks. Her sense of justice would bristle at some of the things developers ask for – which the current council usually gives them.
Warren would be a firm ally of Meed Ward – not a bad thing – but it would mean 5-2 votes on many issues. In the past they have been 6-1 with Meed Ward calling for a recorded vote each time.
Meed Ward is good at this kind of thing and, while she is an irritant to her colleagues she is effective. Warren doesn’t have the stomach for this kind of thing.
There are going to be those out there that claim we are biased. We don`t live in the ward. We know the incumbent better than most people; we have watched her for the past four years. We have followed several of the candidates for some time. Others we saw for the first time Wednesday night; for at least one of them that was all we needed.
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