 By Pepper Parr
August 23, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
“We should have the door to door work wrapped up in a few days” said Peter Hodgson, lead Red Cross person on the task of learning just how many homes were damaged in the August 4th flood, and the extent of that damage.
 Peter Hodgson, lead Red Cross volunteer points to maps that show how many homes were damaged and where they are located. The volunteers will have covered in excess of 10,000 homes, explained Hodgson. Their data gets sent to the Region, where it is plotted on maps, which will allow the city to quantify the damage.
Mayor Goldring had explained at the city council meeting earlier in the month that “we need to know how extensive the damage is”. It is extensive and it is tragic.
For Hodgson the story is much more than numbers on a map. There are some truly tragic situations out there. “We were working with a man who had an extensive “collectibles” collection in his basement. “This was his retirement – and it was gone. The man valued it at more than $1 million.”
 The dots indicate a house that was flooded. This was not a small disaster. There was an apartment building that had some affordable housing units in it. The owner of the building had moved a tenant with little in the way of personal means into a basement unit a few days before the flood so he could renovate the unit they lived in. All was lost.
There was an elderly couple who had suffered extensive damage to their house – all of which was more than they could cope with – but they didn’t want to leave their home.
Hodgson wasn’t able to say, but the sense is that there may be some homes that have to be torn down.
 Red Cross volunteers get training on what to do at eah house they call on. “We don’t talk about poverty in Burlington, but it is there” said Hodgson “and it is situations like this that bring these people to the surface – they have no resources to fall back on. The Red Cross is able to help out but just for a very short period of time.”
“We have people sleeping on air mattresses on the floor in some places” said Hodgson. “We opened up Evacuation Centres but they didn’t really get used – but we had them in place if needed.
The Red Cross has a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the Regional government- which allows them to move into a community on a couple of hours’ notice.
Their volunteers were on the streets within hours doing the door to door work. At the same time the Samaritan’s Purse had crews ripping carpet out of flooded basements and doing power washing, while the fire department put a calendar up on their website showing times, when fire fighters were available to help people with the clean-up.
While all this was going on, citizens were making donations to the disaster relief funds – the total on Friday was $140,000
 By Staff
August 23, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
David THOMSON is 24 years old – he has been missing from his residence in the Appleby Line and Dryden Avenue part of town since Thursday July 28, 2014.
 Missing since the end of July – HRPS will conduct a search for David Thomson on Monday Halton Regional Police Search Incident Response Team (SIRT) will commence a methodical search operation in parks and wooded areas around David’s home on the morning of Monday August 25th 2014
This operation is expected to last several hours during which time the public will see an increase in police activity between Appleby Line and Burloak Drive, north and south of Upper Middle Road.
In the meantime, Police are asking local residents and businesses to check their properties including shed’s, garages and/or outbuildings for anything that would assist in locating David.
David is described as Male/white, 5’10, 160 pounds, medium build, fair complexion, short blonde hair, blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with a Canadian flag on it, blue jeans and running shoes.
Anyone with information that would assist in locating David are urged to contact the on duty Staff Sergeant at 905-825-4747 ext. 2310
 By Staff
August 22, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
There is a reason those BMW’s are as expensive as they are – not that easy to break into.
At around 3:30 pm, Friday August 22, a frantic mother of two young children (a 3 year old and a 15 month old) contacted Halton Regional Police immediately after accidentally locking her keys inside a BMW SUV while parked at the Walmart store at Brant and Fairview.
 Unlocking these cars is easier said than done – police officer decides to break the window when tow truck driver cannot get into the car with two children locked inside. The children were alert and not in any medical distress; a tow truck was called to assist in unlocking the vehicle. Not that easy to get into a locked BMW. The police office attending the call decided to break the window of the SUV to gain access.
The officer cut their arm and needed a trip to the hospital to get it bound up. The children did not sustain any injury and were found to be in good health. The officer who broke the window sustained superficial cuts to their arm and attended Joseph Brant Hospital for medical aid.
By Staff
August 23, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
They figured it out.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), has looked at the nominations posted for various city council seats and come to the conclusion that Rick Goldring, current Mayor of Burlington is going to be acclaimed and elected him to the AMO Board of Directors, Large Urban Caucus.
As a member of the Board Goldring will help set policy for the Association and serve as a key municipal leader in the Province.
 Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring AMO President, Gary McNamara explained that the association’s key advocacy priorities are focused on achieving fiscal sustainability for municipal governments, advancing federal, provincial partnerships for infrastructure and strengthening municipal legislative authority to advance local economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.
AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. AMO supports strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.
By Pepper Parr
August 22, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
There is a squeeze coming.
For the past two weeks the United Way has served as the donation point for disaster relief fund raising. The United Way offered their services immediately, with a bit of a nudge from Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon who was at one time a senior vice President with the national office of the United Way in Ottawa. McMahon knew what United Way had in terms of technology and the ability to handle a large number of donations in a short period of time.
So far the community had donated more than $130,000 to the Disaster Relief fund through the United Way.
 There might be fewer Friends of Freeman Station sold in the next while. However, come September the 11th – the United Way will be kicking of their 2014-15 campaign and they are concerned about some confusion being created in the minds of donours – is money being sent in going to the United Way campaign or to the Disaster relief program?
The sense seems to be that the Disaster Relief Committee will be setting up a funds collection point of their own.
Burlington will then be faced with a United Way Campaign; the Disaster Relief Campaign along with the Joseph Brant $60 million campaign for the building of the hospital additions.
Will the Joseph Brant Foundation suspend their drive for six months to allow the Disaster Relief people collect what they need?
The Friends of Freeman Station have a fund raising drive going on and the political parties are in the process of fattening up their coffers for the federal election in 2015.
Burlington is going to be stretched.
How does a city that everyone seems to love living in, and is the owner of the Best Mid-Sized City in Canada title, handle a situation like this?
Will we see some truly creative ideas coming out of one of the service clubs – maybe even from city council?
 Could the hospital fun raising drive be put on hold while funds for disaster relief are collected? Is there someone out there who has decided Burlington can do better than it is doing with the current Mayor and will mount a last minute campaign for the job and put forward an idea that captures the heart and mind of almost everyone and find himself/herself swept into office? If there is such a person – you’ve got until September to get your name on the ballot.
 By Pepper Parr
August 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The small print needed a closer look.
On August 14, ten days after that disastrous flood that wreaked havoc on thousands of homes and left close to a hundred almost uninhabitable, the city council passed a motion requesting the province to declare Burlington a disaster area.
 Minister Ted McMeekin is no stranger to Burlington. He took part in the opening of the Community Garden a few years ago – a project funded by the province. City is now waiting for McMeekin to sign off on the papers that will make Burlington a disaster area. Many thought, as did this reporter, that being declared a disaster area was a mere formality. MPP and Minister of Housing and Community Services, Ted McMeekin, who is the member for Dundas, Ancaster, Flamborough and Westdale, just to the west of us certainly knows Burlington and understood the need has apparently not signed the document yet.
Why not Mr. Minister, do you need a pen?
 Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon needs to prod Minister McMeekin to sign the papers making us a disaster area. Burlington has just elected a Liberal MPP for the first time in a very long time – what could go wrong? Well something appears to have gone a bit kaflooey – because it appears that the Minister has not yet put pen to paper and declared Burlington as disaster area.
McMeekin’ s press secretary said, when asked when the Minister is going to sign the document: “the Ministry is still assessing the damages and the Minister will make a decision soon.”
While the Minister fiddles Rome burns. The fire fighters are out there doing their thing; the Samaritan’s Purse people have restored more than 30 homes and have work orders for another 30. Steve Elliott, the point man for the Samaritans, said he expect his crews will have wrapped things up by Labour Day which is a short ten days away.
The city is working away on its application for funding to cover as much of the infrastructure damage as possible and the local Disaster Relief committee is working its way towards getting some oxygen into its system and taking on a life.
But nothing can happen until McMeekin signs the document saying we are in fact a disaster area.
The public is pumping funds into the bank account being maintained by the United Way on behalf the yet to be created local Disaster Relief Committee. An announcement is expected from that Committee very soon – however – other than collecting funds and setting up a committee structure to disperse whatever funds there are – there isn’t much they can do. Nothing becomes real or live until the Minister puts pen to paper.
We put in a call to Burlington’s newly minted MPP, Eleanor McMahon but she has yet to return our call.
Everyone is scrambling around – getting things organized – but no one is saying anything.
The suffering public out there needs to know what they can expect and what they cannot expect.
 By Pepper Parr
August 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
James Curran, candidate for the ward 6 council seat, just can’t seem to keep out of trouble.
There have been more than 25 comments on his status as a real estate appraiser – with lots of back and forth and accusation and upgraded explanations.
What should have been a perfectly clear answer to a reasonable question got twisted and turned with people saying they just didn’t believe the man. At this point I’m not sure exactly what his status is as an appraiser.
 Jim Curran complained to the city about the amount of time candidates were permitted to put up election signs. Says the rules were not clearly set out in the Candidates Manual. We advised our readers that we were not taking any more comments on what his status is as an appraiser.
People in the community are bothered by the way that part of the Curran background played out but the issue seems to have ground down to he said – she said. At that point we stopped taking comments unless there was some really solid information.
Then – just when the heat was off the status issue – we get an email advising us that:
In light of recent events and concerns of citizens of Burlington, including the flooding, I have arranged to hold a town hall this evening at 7:00. I apologize for the short notice.
We got this at 6:30 – and complained to Curran that such short notice was unacceptable
Curran responded with: “I just received media codes less than an hour ago. The team informed me just hours ago that it was even taking place. I am as unprepared as you my friend.”
Is Curran telling us that he wasn’t fully aware that something this critical to his campaign was something he didn’t know that much about?
Setting up a Virtual Meeting takes time – someone has to make the arrangements with the company handling the calls – and someone has to have sent out notices to people advising them of the event.
Is Curran telling us that, if this was done he wasn’t aware of it – and if it was done by others – why wasn’t he on top of it.
Jim Curran has exceptional political contacts and connections and he would have people who knew how to set this kind of thing up. To screw it up the way he has – does not bode well for putting this guy at the horseshoe come October.
By Pepper Parr
August 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It was the Samaritan’s that called Burlington to tell them about the service they had – and would the city like some help.
In less than 24 hours the Samaritan’s Purse was set up at the Christian Reformed Church on New Street with a dedicated telephone line installed and the word out to the media – “we are here to help – this is what we do.”
 And that they do. So far the Samaritans have cleaned up 30 homes and Steve Elliott, the man running the people in the field, said there are 30 more work orders waiting to be completed.
The work the Samaritan’s do does not cost the home owner a dime. “We get a call, we send someone out to do the assessment; if we can help we arrange for a crew to be on site as quickly as possible”, said Elliott.
 The power washer gets temperamental from time to time – Elliott shows a volunteer how to jiggle it to get it to work. There are about 80 volunteers – some are “die-hards” and there every day – others come when they can. “We had a group of women here for four hours; they all came from the same company and helped carry out bags of garbage and did what they could in the time they had available.
The Samaritan’s have a network of churches the work with. The local churches know the community – they know where the need is. They know who the single parents are; they know who the seniors that need help are – and those local churches are where people turn to when they need help.“Few people” said Steve Elliott “fully comprehend how big a role the faith based institutions play in their community.
The home the Samaritan’s were working on when we interviewed Elliott had mould that was getting into the ceiling. They had to do a lot of spraying to get that cleaned up.
The work crews assemble at the Christian Reformed Church, where they gather what they need in the way of equipment and are told where they will be working that day. The Chaplin holds a small prayer service and the teams are off to their assigned locations.
 Steve Elliott spends a lot of time on his cell phone – following up on problems and supervising several crews working in different parts of the city. Elliott roams between locations checking on the progress and doing assessments at other homes. He keeps in touch with the Red Cross, who are doing the city wide work to determine where the problems are.
Elliott, a man in his early 50’s perhaps, calls Peterborough home. He was an emergency planner for the province before he retired.
When the work at a house is done, the crew meets with the family to say goodbye and presents them with a Bible that has been signed by every member of the work team. There are going to be more than 100 families in Burlington, who will have an understanding of the story of the Good Samaritan they didn’t have before.
Luke 10: 25-37
By Pepper Parr
August 21, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
They have been a God send said Red Cross volunteer Peter Hodgson –and indeed the Samaritan’s Purse has been just that to many homes in Burlington. Work crews have gone into homes that needed work done and sucked up the water and torn out dry wall and have then gone back in and sprayed with mould inhibitor.
They have been the front line people, doing more for the citizens than either the region or city. Samaritan’s Purse Canada is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that has been providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world since 1970. They partner with local organizations (usually churches) to provide compassionate and cost-effective assistance to anyone who needs it, regardless of religion, race, gender or socio-economic standing.
 Water seeped into basements and mixed with backup from the sewage system destroying everything. For many homes the August flood was preceded by flooding in May – it is more than these people can take. Their emergency relief programs provide desperately needed assistance to victims of natural disaster, war, disease, and famine. They offer food, water, and temporary shelter, and meet critical needs and give people a chance to rebuild their lives.
Burlington seems to be getting more help from outside groups than they are getting from either the city or the Region. There are some homes that are a serious health issue and to the best of our knowledge the Medical Officer of Health, who is required by the province to oversee the health of the community hasn’t had anyone anywhere in Burlington.
Residents are fending for themselves or getting help from outside groups like the Red Cross and Samaritan`s purse and the fire fighters.
The public donations have been coming in – not anywhere near what is going to be needed. The tally as of Wednesday at 5:00 pm was $128,160.
Hodgson reports that more than 7100 homes have been checked out by the Red Cross Volunteers and that 2000 damaged homes were reported to the Region`s 311 number.
It is apparently still not possible to determine exactly how many homes have been damaged and the extent of the damage. However Hodgson did say that there were 40 to 50 homes that were in desperate shape.
The Red Cross has between 15 and 20 teams of people out on the street doing their door to door work and then plotting it all on maps. Hodgson`s task is to oversee the assessment of the damage and send that up the command chain; something Hodgson understands well from his years as a Halton Regional Police officer. He retired as a Staff Sargent – we erroneously reported Hodgson was a Superintendent. Hodgson said he would cheerfully take the pension of a Superintendent.
 Household effects are piled in corners – as far away from the flood waters as possible. Community groups are doing their own work as well. A collective has been formed in ward 5; they’ve named themselves the Burlington Sewer Backup Victims Coalition BSBVC. Their web site sets out who they are and what they have had to put up with. These people are not happy campers and have major beefs with the Region, who don’t seem to be paying any attention to their problems. And those problems are severe.
On August 4, some residents were still rebuilding after a back-up in May, some haven’t received insurance money from that flood.
Sewer back-ups they are aware of in homes have ranged from 1 inch to approximately 10 feet
Some residents have been experiencing these back-ups for years and despite multiple reports, the region and city have failed to show the political will to address known root causes and ignored the need to enact preventative measures .
“We are inviting first-timers, repeat victims or just concerned citizens to join us as we unite to force the City and Region to finally act. We shouldn’t have to fight this hard to do that but we still have plenty left to lose.” Maui Groff, Joanne Karaiskakis and Michelle Peronne-Bonavita all delegated at city council when the disaster area resolution was passed. That bit of legalese doesn`t seem to have done anything for the people in ward 5 who meet regularly to keep each other up to date. We will report on their meetings for you.
They are working with people in the White Pines, Bridlewood/Idlewood. Foxbar and Meadow Hill communities.
By Pepper Parr
April 19, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
We got our first look at what a No Vacancy event was about last year when Selina Jane Eckersall hosted an illustration event at the Waterfront Hotel. It was a little longer than the average movie but it came close to rocking the socks off the Burlington arts community.
 Selina Jane Eckersall points out a location that will be active the No Vacancy Night. Hundreds of people will be crawling through Village Square. It took place at a time when the arts and culture community was beginning to create a presence for itself. The city had accepted the Cultural Action Plan prepared by Jeremy Freiburger and while they weren’t able to act on very much of the plan they did re-allocate a staff member from Parks and Recreation to co-ordinate events that were cultural in nature. This kind of work was being done by the Parks and Recreation department where the culture was more athletic than artistic.
 The No Vacancy event was a critical success and is being repeated this year with a much bigger venue and a more exciting program. Selina Jane Eckersall sums it up with the comment: “We’re looking to give you the best Friday night you’ve ever had.”
There will be 30 unbelievably talented contemporary artists who will transform a variety of spaces inside Village Square into an art experience that will have a lasting impact. “This incredible walking contemporary multi-artist exhibition will feature the best of contemporary installation art from Southern Ontario.”
“Village Square will be buzzing with activity as people explore the alleys and walkways and enter spaces they haven’t explored before. We will also have performance and street art throughout the square and a pop-up art market that will be open until midnight. Burlington has never had an art event quite like this and it is going to be a wondrous experience.”
Half of Pine Street will be closed to traffic and all the space available to No Vacancy in Village Square has been allocated.
 Selina Jane Eckersall points to one of the locations for some of the “installation art” that will be on display for less than four hours September 19 – a not to be missed event. The artists doing the installations are being paid – a bit of a first for Burlington. In the past artists have been asked to donate to various causes – when they themselves are a cause. The beer garden profits will be used to pay the artists that are putting up the installations.
Eckersall is putting on a much bigger event this year and giving the Village Square some life – something it has needed for some time. The longer term plan for No Vacancy is to be quite ambitious. They have organized themselves as an Ontario Not for Profit Corporation and have gotten charitable status in Ontario and are going after federal charitable status.
Later in the year they will apply for Trillium Funding (that’s where a lot of your lottery money goes) so they can develop the much more robust program they have wanted to put in place for some time. “We want to open minds and push people out of their comfort zone just a bit and we feel that we need a bigger presence in the city, which is why we are looking for a place, where we can be seen and the work of the artists we want to highlight can also be seen.”
“We would like to find a building somewhere or work with someone who has space –visibility is key to what we are setting out to do. What we want to create is a facility that is part studio, part media lab and part gallery” said Eckersall. “One of the bigger challenges is to come up with a business model that can result in an operation that is sustainable – we are still working at that”, she added.
“We would really like to find a van we could use to transport some of the material involved. Installation art tends to be quite large.”
Eckersall says she has “no idea how many people are going to show up on September 19th – it could be anywhere between 500 and 5000.” The event will run from 7 pm to 2 am and as Eckersall says : “A night of incredible art installation in Burlington.”
All the space in Village Square have been allocated and the artists are busy working on the fun stuff. Administratively Eckersall is dealing with permits, contracts, and insurance.
There is going to be a “pop up” market. If there are artists out there that are looking for a venue to sell some stuff – touch base.
Eckersall says the event is all about “Art that makes your heart beat faster.”
By Pepper Parr
August 20, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
This is not going to be easy. The people who are going to have to manage the distribution of flood relief funds have a mammoth task on their hands and it is vital for them to ensure that what they do is totally transparent even though they are dealing with some very personal information about the people who have lost so much due to the flood.
The immediate good news is that the public fund raising is coming along. The amount donated as of 5:00 pm on Tuesday was $120,000. $10,000 of that came from CUPE Local 44.
 The damage for hundreds of homes is extensive. The fear is that some families may not be able to recover from the flood. Local fund raising is vital. The Burlington United Way is serving as the main collection point – they will hold the funds and accept donations through their secure website. Once the Disaster Relief fund is established – and the province requires that this committee be created, they will set out the policies and procedures that will determine what is available for distribution and who gets funds.
There will be situations where the damage to a house was severe but the occupants were fully insured – would they get any funding? Take a neighbour two doors down who was also badly flooded and they also had insurance coverage but the deductible was very high – would they get funding. And then the household that had insurance but the insurance company decided there would be no payout – what would that household get.
Add to that the concern many people will have about the personal details of their finances being trotted out for the whole world to read about.
Colleen Mulholland, president of the Burlington Community Foundation, an organization that donated $15,000 to the Disaster Relief Fund, lives in a house that was badly flooded. Many will ask – isn’t there a conflict of interest here? Mulholland doesn’t see it that way. She is totally focused on pulling together the committees that will do their very best to help the people in Burlington take care of each other.
She is currently working at creating the various committees that will be needed to get the financial help out to people. At this point the thinking is to create three levels within the Disaster Relief committee; one will focus on the corporate sector seeking additional funding.
 It was a nicer evening and a better time for Colleen Mulholland when she posed with the BCF Masquerade Ball Honorary Chair Angelo Paletta For every dollar that is donated the province can match that on a two for one basis. While no one is certain yet as to exactly what the need is – the sense is that the community is going to have to come up with more than $1 million which would bring in $2 million from the province for a total of $3 million. Will that be enough?
A second committee will focus on working with the numerous agencies that are going to be involved in a task that Mulholland believes will become the legacy of the BCF. Not sure if this is the time to be talking about legacies but she makes a point. The Burlington Community Foundation is going to be the group that pulls this thing together so that the needs of the people that need help are met.
A third committee will focus on the “grass roots” which hopefully turns out to be people from those pockets in the community that were hit so very hard.
A concern that has been raised is the number of people involved – while it is vital that this be a community effort – with 22 different agencies at the table it could become the equivalent of trying to herd cats.
While working on a story with the Samaritan’s Purse we wanted to take a close look at the work they were doing helping people who need help. “Let me see how the house we are working at now feels about pictures being taken” said our contact. ”These people are feeling very emotional right now and their dignity has to be maintained.”
There is a delicate balance to be maintained and a mammoth task to complete.
The announcements from Mulholland as to the makeup of the committees should be available sometime this week.
 By Staff
August 19, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
The $100,000 mark for the Burlington Disaster Relief fund has been passed.
To be exact the number for Monday evening was $111,985,00
More is needed.
By the end of the week the Disaster Relief committee should have numbers from the Red Cross which will quantify the damage – they will know how many houses were damaged and the extent of that damage.
By Staff
August 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) has been a champion of visual art and fine craft in Burlington in the more than 45 years it has been operating. They engage the community in the appreciation and creation of visual arts and are home to seven art and fine craft guilds. They provide opportunities for discovery and ‘hands-on’ learning, as well as mentoring and showcasing visual artists at all skill levels.
 The AGB is dedicated to the growth and promotion of our collection of Canadian contemporary ceramics.
The AGB is now going one step further in the development of the visual arts with the establishment of a residency in ceramics that will start in September and run for a full year.
The working days are flexible to suit both the Gallery’s needs and the successful candidate’s other commitments. A stipend of $200 per week is being offered.
The successful candidate will be expected to work as a studio technician for up to 15 hours per week, not to include the studio time used for personal artistic explorations.
Suitable candidates are: Recent graduate in ceramics from a recognized institution or in his/her graduating year in a ceramics program at a recognized institution. A person with an interest in arts and craft and able to tackle a few projects at once and deliver them all on time. Self-motivated and able to work in a communal environment.
The benefit to the artist is a great opportunity for the successful candidate to build their portfolio with diverse projects supporting our programs including the possibility of exhibiting in our Community Gallery.
The successful candidate will have access to a fully equipped studio including potter’s wheels, electric, gas and raku kilns. Tools, clay and glazes are not included.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to teach in our Community and Studio programs. The AGB is open some evenings and weekends.
Respond with a resume and cover letter by September 8, 2014 to:
Denis Longchamps, Chief Curator Art Gallery of Burlington
1333 Lakeshore Rd Burlington ON L7S 1A9
dlongchamps@artgalleryofburlington.com
A current portfolio will be required if you are selected for an interview.
 By Staff
August 18, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It was a chilly weekend that put a damper on the public events – but the people working at collecting funds for the Flood Relief program were out on the street as were the Red Cross Volunteers who are going door to door in those areas hard hit to determine the extent of the damage.
 Peter Hodgeson, a former Regional Police Superintendent is working with the Red Cross volunteers going door to door gathering information on the extent of the flood damage, talks with ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward who is doing what she can to keep the problem in the minds of the public. Those leading the response to the disaster are still working at determining the extent of the damage. In order to quantify the damage, information is needed and the city is not convinced that they know everything they need to know.
The concern in the minds of those who work with this kind of disaster is that the news cycle is now so short that the public will soon forget just how badly damaged many homes are and how hurt the families are as well.
“We need to continually tell the stories and keep them in people’s minds so that the public response will be equal to what is needed” said Pete Ward who has extensive experience with disaster relief around the world.
Later this week the names of the people who will sit on the Local Disaster Committee that has been formed will be made known. It is this group of people, currently being led by Colleen Mulholland, President and CEO of the Burlington Community Foundation, who will oversee the actual distribution of funds. She will be joined by others in the days ahead.
The Burlington United Way is continuing to serve as the “banker” for the Relief Fund; they are the primary point for cash donations.
There are dozens of small groups throughout the city holding events to raise funds. The Centro Market held a fund raiser on the weekend; Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward was seen talking to anyone who would give her five seconds about the need for funds.
The need is great.
By Staff
August 15, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
Mayor Rick Goldring said the local Disaster Relief Fund had reached $100,000 – not there yet Your Worship.
The fund sits at $92,398 at the end of the first week.
We have a long way to go folks.
Some homes had two levels flooded – the Mayor’s home had eight feet of water. There is provincial money out there for us – but those provincial dollars are matched on a two for one basis – for every dollar we raise the province will add $2.
With those matching funds we would have just over a quarter of a million in the bank – but given that there are 1052 homes seriously damaged with most of them having limited insurance coverage – the need is great.
There are some homes in the south east part of the city where they either do not have or are not going to be able to get insurance because of the number of floods they have experienced.
There are clearly a number of serious problems with the way pipes are laid out in that part of the city – and getting the Region to actually do something looks as if it is going to be a marathon of protesting and demanding that they step up and do the job they are in place to do.
But this is not the time to bash the Region – this is the time to look at the private individuals and the large and small business operations in the city and ask them to pull out the cheque books – pause before they write in the total and figure out what they can handle – and they add a bit more.
The need for some is dire.
Try the math on this. Take those 1052 homes – and divide it into the $276,000 we would have to disburse given where we are with the amount that has been donated. It amounts to a measly $262 per household.
This isn’t good enough people. There are people hurting and they need your help. The downpour of rain was unique in many ways – the city has never had so much in such a short period of time – and the rain cloud seemed to hover over a part of the city. Streets blocks away didn’t get a drop.
We know that global warming has something to do with the changes in weather; we know that we are going to see more of this kind of thing – and we also know that the need is big – really big.
Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon put it very well, when she addressed her remarks to the commercial community. “These are your customers, these are the people who make this city what it is – and today they need your help.”
Dig in and dig as deep as you can – please.
The Burlington United Way is serving as the banker for the Disaster Relief Fund. They are collecting the funds and will turn it over to the local Disaster Relief Committee as soon as it has been formed.
Make your on line donation – or drop by the Burlington United Way office at 3425 Harvester Road, Unit 107
 By Ray Rivers
August 15, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON.
When the UN adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), enshrining their minimal standards for the survival, dignity and well-being, in 2007, only four nations opposed its passage. These were the former British colonies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Canada’s minister of Indian Affairs at the time Chuck Strahl, argued: “By signing on, you default to this document by saying that the only rights in play here are the rights of First Nations. And, of course, in Canada, that’s inconsistent with our Constitution.”
 Yet Canadian aboriginal and government officials had been engaged in the development of this declaration since the 1970’s. Amnesty International, condemned the Conservative government’s position as they argued that the UNDRIP outlined minimum human rights standards, complementing rather than overriding existing rights. In fact, over a hundred Canadian lawyers and legal experts prepared an open letter outlining why the Canadian government’s claims were misleading.
And it was only three years later that all four of the dissenting nations reversed themselves and ratified the Declaration, though their support could best be described as qualified. Canada and Australia, in particular, referred to the Declaration as some kind of aspirational document meanwhile insisting that their governments were already in compliance. It is said that if you don’t know that a problem exists, you will never come to a resolution.
Article 3 of UNDRIP includes the right to “to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” Now that is pretty meaty stuff and something very much at odds with the paternalism that has characterized aboriginal policy over the centuries. Canada’s approach has always been assimilation or directed isolation – you are one of us or you are on the reserve and will play according to our rules.
Yet, Canada is the nation of multiculturalism. We encourage new immigrants to share their history and lifestyles with the rest of us as we continue to build Canada. Why do we treat immigrants as equals and our aboriginals as mis-guided children? The purpose of the Indian Act, first enacted almost immediately after confederation, was to encourage aboriginals to discard their history and embrace ours; to give up their cultural heritage as if it were obviously inferior.
Of course it’s not just about attitude, though it is a great deal about attitude. There are these historical treaties, and the new ones in the works, that continue to drive that wedge between us and them, to perpetuate the divisions. The Indian ‘status’ is a virtual prison sentence for Canada’s original inhabitants, segregating them from the rest of us. Conferring special rights (e.g. tax free), ‘status’ has perpetuated the demand for a system which has failed to provide economic and social development, and the freedom it purports to offer.
Like a treadmill or vicious circle, aboriginals are trapped in a dependency on public largess and welfare. What, arguably, may have been well-intentioned aboriginal policy at one time in history has been shown to be demeaning and de-humanizing. And the courts have told us we can’t just tear up the treaties, and the Indian Act, and start again, despite the overwhelming logic which says that is exactly what we need to do.
 Pierre Trudeau, in 1969, and Stephen Harper, more recently, learned that change is not something government can do on its own, it needs to engage all Canadians in a serious discussion. Boundaries and limits, as articulated in the old treaties, can both protect and imprison. Would the creation of aboriginal nations within the Canadian nation be a solution? Doesn’t that already exist with the system of reserves? Would that have served to prevent the conflicts at Caledonia, Ipperwash, Akwesasne and ‘Idle No More’?
The US government officially treats American tribes as ‘domestic dependent nations’ but has struggled in defining how these jurisdictions interact with federal, state, and tribal governments. It all sounds good until the rubber hits the road and everyone sees that this is nothing like the full sovereignty accorded foreign nations. The incident at Wounded Knee in 1973 exposed the limitations of the power of these Indian ‘nations’, when trying to exert some of the influence one would expect to have – as a nation. And that perhaps explains why those four former British colonies, unable to move beyond our 16th century First Nation’s policies, opposed the UN Declaration.
 There are no elegant solutions it seems, but the status quo is unsustainable, and we are not even talking about the real issues – the longer term place of aboriginals and their culture in Canada and among the rest of Canadians. We dance about, dealing with symptoms like the land claims or improving the education and health services on the reserves, as the Kelowna Accord was intended to do – good things nonetheless. And we pretend to worry about offending native culture, such as when a celebrity dons a warrior headdress, though like the feathered bonnet, so much of all of this is clouded in symbolism.
 Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
BACKGROUND LINKS:
UN Declaration Aboriginals Australia New Zealand USA
Indian Act Land Claims Indian Land Claims Conflict Assimilation
By Pepper Parr
August 15, 2015
Burlington, ON
The lights would have dimmed a bit last Monday when Murray Hogarth’s spirit left this earth.
 That twinkle never left his eyes. Surrounded by his family at their cottage Murray passed away in his 84th year.
It was a delight to interview Murray Hogarth when he was named the philanthropist of the year. There were some health issues at the time that kept him away from the podium at the annual Burlington Community Foundation Masquerade Ball – his son Tim spoke for his Dad and said: “Typical of my father’s entrepreneurialism Murray recognized that while we can’t always predict what lies ahead, we can always make sure we are prepared to seize the opportunity or meet the need when it arises. And that is what this is all about. It’s never too late… philanthropy, as Murray and Diana have proven time and again, has no retirement age.”
Murray was an entrepreneur in the full sense of the word. He was a risk taker and he was also a keen thinker – he knew how to figure out the odds and he took chances.
He was a foxy guy – you had to be fast to catch this man.
During our interview there was a consistent twinkle in his eye as he talked about how he consistently beat out the “big guys” in the retail gasoline business. The conversation ranged all over the place – from when he first met his wife Diana and included the thinking around the first gas station he opened and on to how he tweaked his marketing practices to constantly stay ahead of the name brands.
Murray was the first guy to put oil out beside the gas pumps.
Murray was the first guy to put light over the gas pumps and then added canopies to keep the rain off people.
He created loyalty cards.
In his prime he must have been a force in both his businesses and his community.
 Partners, friends since the day he first saw her when she was ten years old. Murray and Diana Hogarth in their Lakeshore Road home During my interview with Murray, his wife Diana came into the sun room, sat on the arm of the couch Murray was on and gently placed her hand on his shoulder; one of those touches that you instantly knew she had been doing every day of their marriage.
The Hogarth home was exquisitely decorated and I remarked that she must have had some experience as an interior decorator. Diana commented at the time that “interior decorators hang wall paper – I don’t hang wall paper.” That tart tongue put me in my place.
While Diana was the mother of the five Hogarth boys she was also very much a partner in the business with Murray. You could almost see them sitting across from each other talking over a business problem or situation with Diana giving it her all.
 The first Pioneer gas station – it didn’t look like this the day it opened but it has been open every day since November 1956. “There were problems” said Murray during the interview. “There were two occasions when we were in serious trouble” at which point Diana piped in with the comment: “How much do we want to tell this man Murray.”
The kind smile Murray had for Diana every day of their long healthy marriage appeared on his face and that subject got dropped.
There will be a Visitation August 19th at Smith’s Funeral Home on Guelph Line: 3pm to 5 pm; 7pm to 9pm. There will also be a private celebration at the Port Nelson United Church.
Background links:
They were a team.
By Pepper Parr
August 14th, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
It is official!
Besides being the Best mid-sized city in Canada – Burlington is also a disaster area in the eyes of city council.
A motion, unanimously passed by council Thursday morning, asks the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to declare the City of Burlington a “disaster area” for the purposes of public and private components of the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP)
Passing that motion was the first step to getting funds into the hands of citizens who have suffered extremely serious flood damage particularly in wards 4 and 5.
 The Special Session of city council was called to pass this motion and two others; one asking the Region to give immediate priority and attention to address the sanitary sewage issues of those residents who have experienced flooding and significant property loss and damage on multiple occasions including May 14 and August 4.
Following this assessment, Regional Council be requested to review the current level of financial assistance available as part of the Regional Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy, which is currently set at $1,000.
City staff were instructed to expedite any local approval processes and waive any related fees.
A third motion was passed to assist homeowners with the cost of building permits payable under the Building Permit Bylaw. Mayor Goldring made a big deal out of leaving the council chamber while that debate took place – his house was flooded and he would benefit directly from any waiving of fees.
The public fund raising is underway. The United Way announced Thursday afternoon at 5:00 pm that $80,828. had been raised. United Way is serving as the “banker” for the local fund raising. It is going to take a mammoth give on the part of the public. You can donate on line at the following secure web site. A tax receipt is issued almost immediately.
Before council members got to passing bylaws they heard from three delegations: Maui Groff, Joanne Karaiskakis and Michelle Peronne-Bonavita; all ward 5 residents, wanted both the city and the Region to look much harder into the sewage problems. The three women, part of a community coalition that has grown to more than 40 people who want inspections and assessment of “chronic sewage backup” in homes. One delegate spoke of their being six sewage backups in one building. Another said that she had insurance and her claim is going to be paid this time – but she can no longer get insurance.
The delegations wanted:
Inspection and assessment of chronically sewage back up homes.
Careful monitoring of water flow during heavy storms and subsequent emergency roll – out.
100% subsidy for purchase and installation of recommended back-flow valves and sump pumps. These things come up to close to $6000 installed.
Retroactive payments for residents who have already taken the above measures.
The community wants to hear a lot more from the Region’s Medical Officer of Health – there was no one commenting at all publicly on the health risks. Where the algae rate in Lake Ontario water reaches a certain level the Region puts out a bulletin. Where are those people when there is a crisis?
The delegations wanted someone to tell them if certain areas are deemed “sewage back up/flood risks. There are parts of ward 5 particularly where property owners have come to the conclusion they are not going to be able to sell their homes because of the flooding history.
Mayor Rick Goldring said he had visited more than 100 homes in the past week and reported that more than 2000 homes were reported to the Region`s 311 line.
There is a report that 1052 homes in the city had significant to serious flooding.
 Mayor Goldring said about 2% – maybe a bit more of the Burlington population was damaged by the flooding; Councillor Sharman said 650 – 700 of the damaged homes south of the QEW were in his ward.
The Red Cross is doing a door to door survey of the city and leaving information packages behind. They will have identification and be wearing red vests.
“Most people have insurance”, said the Mayor “but they don`t have the appropriate insurance.” As disastrous as the situation is the basement cleanup are going quite quickly. Goldring said that earlier in the week he could see 11 dumpsters in the line of site from his from door; this morning there were just two.
The Mayors asks everyone – How can we help? The answer of course is to get funds into the hands of those people who have to buy new refrigerators, new furnaces and freezers plus washers and dryers.
Everyone seems to want to agree that no amount of infrastructure could have handled the rain that fell on the city and everyone agreed that we have not seen the last of the catastrophic weather – but that didn’t do much for the ward 5 residents who believe there is something wrong with the way sewage and storm sewer pipes seem to all run into basements rather than out.
Mention was made of the young pregnant Mother who had to leave the house they lived in because the basement floor was cracking and the structure was deemed to be unsound. They bought the house two years ago.
Michelle Peronne-Bonavita spoke of the nurse with an autistic child that could not handle the terrible disruption. “We have found the Region, which is responsible for water and waste treatment to be very dismissive. We are known as the floodies and we don’t feel the Region has given our problem the recognition we deserve. Bonavita maintains that if the infrastructure was sound and properly put together we wouldn’t have had this kind of damage.
She added that she should get paid by the Region for being a sewage holding tank. “This is public waste on private property and the problem is worsening.” Bonavita says she pays the Region $823 a year and wants her money back.
 Burlington MPP, Eleanor McMahon talks to media after a Special city council meeting which asked the province to declare the city a disaster area so that provincial funds can flow to the city. The community that has suffered severe flooding began to be developed 50 years ago and those still around will tell you there have always been flooding problems. Allan Magi, Director Capital Investment said that some municipalities tie their sewage and storm water pipes together but Burlington doesn’t do that.
Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon, spoke to city council explaining the procedure the province would follow in getting funds to the city and its citizens.
Counsellor Lancaster wanted to know if the Region had done any upgrades in the community. There was no one in the room from the Region – they had been invited but didn’t appear.
Joanne Karaiskakis wondered why there could not be some form of “social triage” that looked at every situation on the spot, assessed the damage and made decisions. During the worst of the storm the city ran a Command Centre and had all the right people close to telephone, but there was no one out in the streets. The fire department and the gas company tricks were seen when a gas line was left exposed and the smell of gas in the air.
People wanted boots on the ground – and they just didn’t seem to be available.
Boots are beginning to appear at door steps. The Red Cross has people going door to door collecting information: were you flooded – how bad was the damage and where do you need help?
 Mayor Goldring explained that with the motion on its way to the Minister of Municipalities and Housing the city can turn to its next stage which is to get the local Disaster Relief Committee set up. Collen Mulholland, Executive Director of the Burlington Community Foundation is going to head up that local committee; names of Ron Foxcroft and Keith Strong are being tossed around as members of the committee. If Strong is on deck – bet on Jim Frizzle being there with him.
It is this committee that will evaluate the need at the really local level – no one better than Mulholland to do this job; smart, sensitive and connected. She was one of the homes flooded.
The BCF was quick to put $15,000 on the table from the get go – so far though the corporate community hasn’t exactly surpassed itself with generosity. When Strong is onside – then watch what happens.
Everyone wants to know if enough is being done. Councillor Sharman asked the Mayor if he could assure him that what is being done now does not constrain what the city can do in the near future. “No, I cannot” said the Mayor. The Sandra O’Reilly, Controller and Manager of Financial Services piped in with “the city can do something additional.”
This being an election year – watch for situations where members of council will think of ways to move as much city money as possible to people in their wards – especially four and five.
With the paper work on becoming a disaster area done by the city – people wanted to know: How soon does the province report back? Acting city manager Scott Stewart explained that it is really important to quantify everything – and we are 98% there.
But no one was able to say with any degree of certainty that there would be cheques in people’s hands by Labour Day?
By Pepper Parr
August 13, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
City council will be meeting Thursday morning to consider asking the province to declare parts of the city a disaster area – which is a necessary prelude to being approved for disaster relief funding.
While the public hears of the horrific damage done to individual homeowners and their property – the city is looking at its infrastructure and figuring out the cost of repairing, and replacing in some instances, pipes and roadways.
During the December ice storm the city received approximately $2.2 million from the province to cover the cost of the damage. There was no funding for private individuals.
 There was a time when bins in the driveway meant renovations and upgrades – for the month of August and on into the fall they identify those homes with serious water damage from the August 4th flooding. The Council meeting might be focused on the recovery of funds for the infrastructure. The people that voted the seven members of council into office have a more pressing problem – repairing their homes and figuring out how they are going to pay for refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and furnaces when insurance coverage is at the as low as $5000 with some people having $15,000 in coverage.
Funds for individuals will not come from the city. Those funds will come from community fund raising that will get matched by the province on a two for one basis. The rules are such that not a dime of city money can be used to pay for individual losses.
A private fund raising arm has to be put in place – that was done last Friday when the United Way stepped up and made their information technology system available. Funds began flowing into the United Way account within hours and as of 5:00 pm Wednesday the United Way had collected $74,400 in donations.
Donations can be made on line on a secure site that issues a tax receipt automatically. Click on that red line – and be generous
Once the request for a declaration that Burlington is a disaster area has been approved by the Minister of Housing and Community Services; Burlington neighbour Ted McMeekin – the city will then create a Disaster Relief Committee that will oversee the collection and disbursement of funds.
 The fire fighters are making their man power – the woman as well – available to those who need help. The form on their web site sets out time slots that are available. There are a number of local grass roots opportunities to raise funds. This weekend the city will be holding a two day Children’s Festival on the waterfront. Someone should round up half a dozen clean oil drums, paint them bright yellow and have signs made up: Disaster Relief funding – and watch the $20 bills come out of wallets.
Later in the month Rib Fest takes place – another opportunity to raise funds. People want to help and they will help – if you give them the opportunity.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward is married to Pete Ward who at one time headed up fund raising for World Vision – and those guys knew how to raise money. The job called for a lot of travel – Pete wanted less travel and got into consulting as a fund raiser. Expect Meed Ward to toss out some ideas at the Thursday Council meeting.
The city has not appointed anyone to the Disaster Relief Committee but there are names being floated around. “We want people who have some experience with this kind of thing” said Scott Stewart Acting City Manager.
While it is never fast enough, organizations are coming together and help is being delivered.
The Red Cross has taken on the task of organizing the volunteers. The Firefighters have set up a schedule showing time slots that are available for fireman to work at a home that needs help.
There are senior people at city hall who remark that the Region has been missing in action on this file; much the way there were totally uninvolved with the land fill dumping that was going on at the air park.
 We are going to see a lot of this for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully the Disaster Relief Fund, once it is created will be able to get funds into the hands of people who need it – now. The Mayor, whose home reportedly had eight feet of water in the basement, came close to “losing it” several times during the media event.
This experience has been hard on just about everyone. Time now to pull together and clean up the mess. We will be living with some of this come Christmas.
 By Pepper Parr
August 13, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON.
If boots on the ground are what win elections – then Jim Curran is in the race for the ward 6 seat.
Curran is a real estate appraiser as well as a political operative of long standing. He has been at the political game for a long time, usually in the background as an adviser. This will be his first attempt at gaining public office for himself and he brings the discipline and tested approaches to winning.
 The bylaw enforcement officer told Curran to take down signs he had put up late in July.. He was ready to plant 300 of the things in ward 6 lawns. Curran thought the city was offside with that rule and wrote the city manager – he apparently didn’t get as much as a reply or an acknowledgement to his letter. Curran argued that there is case law that says signs can go up any time but decided this wasn’t a battle he wanted to take on. He said he had 300 sign locations and wanted t get them all up in a single day.
He does however have a number of battles that need, from his point of view, a serious taking on. The damage done to the Sheldon property on Appleby Line where the owners of the air park have built 30 foot hills on either side of a small property.
Poverty – yes we have poor people in Burlington says Curran needs attention. “The Comfort Inn is packed with welfare cases” he said. While social welfare is a regional issue Curran appreciates that he is both a city Councillor and a Regional Councillor and expects to improve Burlington’s performance at the Region.
Curran is not at a loss for issues: Parking, close to a disaster in the ward and nothing is being done. The current council member held a town hall – 16 people showed up – most people in the community didn’t know about the event.
QEW traffic congestion is another issue that Curran wants more discussion about: “We know that even more grid lock is coming – it’s time to look at the options to make getting to places on the QEW easier and faster”, said Curran.
Don’t expect Curran to be a wall flower at council meetings. This man looks at the issues, develops an opinion based on the facts he can gather and speaks his mind.
He thinks the Region is making a massive – and very expensive mistake with the way the Randall Reef problem is being handled. The Randall Reef is a spot in Burlington Bay where toxic waste has collected over the years and got to the point where it is now the second most toxic site in the country. The Region decided to put a concrete cap on the site. Curran says a better, far less expensive way has been worked out but, according to Curran, no one is listening to the people with the information.
Curran looks for situations where a project is designed to become self-sustainable as quickly as possible – and he has his eye on what the Economic Development Corporation is doing. He didn’t appear impressed but the new board has only been at it for a couple of months.
Curran thinks the Candidate Manual produced by the city clerk was far from clear on the rules on when signs can be out up. Curran gets animated when he reviews where the other seven candidates in the ward are in terms of support and where they are likely to be when all the ballots are counted – and declares that he is going to win the election in ward 6.
Wonder what incumbent Blair Lancaster thinks of that statement?
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