By Pepper Parr
February 10th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It isn’t all that much money but put in the right hands it can be very productive and useful.
The federal government set up a fund with $31 million in it. That money was made available to a number of the community foundations who then look for places in their individual communities where it can be put to use.
The funds are to be used transforming public spaces in response to COVID19. I don’t think this was meant to put plastic shields up so we don’t bump into people when we are outdoors.
An organization that goes under the title of the The Golden Horseshoe Hub in Southern Ontario announced today they will work together to distribute $1,840,190 to transform public spaces The funding will flow over two application rounds.
The Hub is led by the Oakville Community Foundation and includes: Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation, Brant County Community Foundation, Burlington Foundation, Community Foundation of Halton North, Hamilton Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Mississauga and Niagara Community Foundation.
The money comes from the federal government and their Healthy Communities Initiative and will support community-led organizations in developing local, small-scale infrastructure projects that respond to the immediate needs arising from COVID-19, while building towards a more pandemic-resilient future.
When people work together sharing ideas and collaborating on what they decide to do – the wider community benefits.
Starting today, organizations are invited to apply for funding between $5,000 and $250,000 to lead projects that help create safe and vibrant public spaces, improve mobility options, and provide digital solutions to help their neighbourhoods or communities navigate the pandemic and look to build back better in the COVID-19 recovery.
This could include projects that adapt crosswalks and access to public transport to allow for safe physical distancing, the creation of community gardens, and art installations, and free wifi in targeted public spaces. A variety of community-led organizations are eligible to apply, including local governments, charities, Indigenous communities, and registered non-profit organizations.
Organizations can apply for First Round funding from February 9, 2021 until March 9, 2021, at 8:00 PM EST.
A second application period for funding will start in May 2021.
Application forms and background information can be found HERE
Colleen Mulholland, President of the Burlington Foundation adds that: “Burlington Foundation is pleased to partner with seven community foundations located across Southern Ontario, forming The Golden Horseshoe Hub, to provide just over $1.8M to a variety of locally-lead infrastructure projects that respond to needs resulting from this pandemic. Transforming public spaces through the addition of new community gardens, ensuring free WIFI is available in open spaces, and adapting our crosswalks, are just a few examples of how we can adapt to support immediate needs while also ensuring long-term community resiliency. This funding is part of the Government of Canada’s new $31M Healthy Communities Initiative.
Applications are now open. Visit our website for details: https://burlingtonfoundation.org/about/leadership-initiatives/canada-healthy-communities-initiative/
The Burlington Foundation expects to announce their 4th round of financing for projects. Should be able to tell you more around the middle of the month. These will be above and beyond funding from the federal government.
“The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” (Article 2 of the Olympic Charter)
By Ray Rivers
February 10th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
There is an open letter signed by parliamentarians from all of Canada’s political parties, indigenous leaders and human rights organizations demanding that, given China’s record of human rights abuses, the 2022 Olympic Winter Games must be relocated away from China.
Those abuses are so significant that the former and current US governments have labelled China’s actions with its minority Uighur population as genocide.
Hitler hijacked the 1936 Olympic Games – would China do the same in 2022
Not relocating the games would be an unfortunate case of history repeating itself. The 1936 Olympics were hijacked by Adolf Hitler. Opponents of the Berlin games argued that allowing the Nazi regime to host the games would just embolden Hitler and allow him a propaganda victory. Showcasing the international games would demonstrate to the German people that the rest of the world was OK with his policies of second class citizenship, ethnic cleansing and ultimately genocide (eventually) for Germany’s Jewish population.
In addition to the Canadian effort, there is group of 180 international human rights associations calling for a complete boycott of the games. Boycotts are problematic, as history has shown, and they rarely work. For example, after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan most western nations boycotted the 1980 Olympics which were being held in Moscow. The games still went ahead; the Soviets continued to occupy Afghanistan for a decade thereafter; and the western athletes, whose careers were on the line, suffered the most.
Coal being shoveled off rail cars in China for use in generating plants
There is a long list of grievances which China’s president for life, Xi Jinping, has been ramping up over recent years. Of course China has a terrible human rights record with respect to its treatment of the Uighur, Falun Gong, Hong Kong and Tibetan populations. China has also replaced the US as the leading source of climate change emissions, and despite participating in the Paris climate agreement, the country is building more new coal burning power plants than the rest of the world combined.
The nation has been developing its military at break neck speed. And with its now powerful navy has claimed sovereignty over the South China Sea which puts it on a collision course with any number of it neighbours and the USA. And of course there is a long simmering cold war with India over their mountainous shared border.
China has threatened war and forced occupation of Taiwan, an island of 24 million people with a democratic government, and which has been independent since 1949. And its history before that, except for a brief period post WWII, had been as a colony of Japan. The USA may have no formal security treaty with Taiwan but has 30,000 troops stationed there. So it is doubtful that the US would stand by and allow the Chinese to invade without a fight.
Patrons at a wet market in Wuhan, China
It has been a year since we first heard of COVID, but World Health Organization (WHO) inspectors have finally been allowed to visit the birthplace of the virus which caused COVID 19. Though, nobody really expects them to discover how this pandemic actually got started. Chinese officials have sanitized the wet (seafood) market which they claim have been location zero. And all of the Chinese citizens or officials who could have shed light on the situation have either been kept out of sight or been velcro-lipped.
The theories propagated by Chinese authorities are that the virus arrived in Wuhan aboard a load of American frozen food or that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a bat virus which transited through an infected pangolin to complete a zoonotic leap into the respiratory tract of an unsuspecting shopper in Wuhan’s extensive wet market.
But neither theory holds water. For one thing neither bats nor pangolins were on sale at the Wuhan wet market at the time. The closest candidate bat would have been a 7 hour train ride away but was probably too busy hanging upside down in its bat cave to make the journey.
Another theory, once advanced by former president Donald Trump, and largely dismissed because of that, is that there was an accidental leakage of the virus from the Wuhan Virology Laboratory. Located just up the street from the wet market, this is China’s only Level 4 bio-safety laboratory with a mandate to study and experiment with these kinds of viruses. And located behind its walls is the greatest collection of dangerous bat viruses ever assembled in one place.
The Chinese obviously deny this lab leak theory. And the team of visiting WHO inspectors say it’s a long shot. But this would not be the first time that WHO has been pressured by the Chinese. And given the lack of transparency and all the secrecy, can one be sure all the inspectors have seen is a really thorough cover-up of the evidence?
For Canada there is another reason to avoid the games in China. Just ask our two Michaels who have been held in miserable captivity for over two years. Their crimes were that they were valuable hostages which China’s strongman thought would make good trading fare for their Huawei executive whom we, in turn, continue to detain. Australia has recently updated its travel advice for China to warn that authorities have detained foreigners on alleged national security grounds and that Australians may be at risk of arbitrary detention.
The Canadian Olympic Team at Winter Olympic Games
The choice for Canada is pretty clear. We need to work with other nations to convince the international Olympic committee to either cancel the games or shift the location to a more appropriate venue in keeping with the mandate, goals and the spirit of the Olympics. Unless that happens Canada should boycott the games in Beijing and seek alternate venues and exhibitions for our athletes.
The last thing Canadians need to see on their television sets next February are our proud athletes marching through Beijing sporting a large maple leaf flag as they pass by prison cell holding one of our Michaels.
As a postscript China is now claiming it will sanction any nation which boycotts the games. Seriously?
What would they do if the games are moved to a more acceptable location?
Ray Rivers, born in Ontario earned an economics degree at the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s degree in economics at the University of Ottawa. His 25 year stint with the federal government included time with Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, Agriculture and the Post office. Rivers is active in his community; has run for municipal and provincial office.
Background links:
About the Olympics – Olympic Charter – Wuhan Lab –
A Lab Leak – Was it the Lab – More Lab Leaks –
US and Wuhan Lab – A Leak? – Move the Games –
Human Rights Groups – All Parties Call for Moving Olympics –
By Pepper Parr
February 11th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 3 of a four part series
What is the Burlington Lands Partnership?
The Burlington Lands Partnership (“BLP”) is a flexible, multi-dimensional and integrated approach that seeks to address multiple areas of municipal strategic land management including acquisition and development.
For the City, the BLP will initially focus on achieving tangible and measurable community benefits and returns in three areas: supporting economic growth and direct job creation, completing “city building” projects and delivering much needed affordable housing.
Oversight and strategic direction will be provided by a new steering committee that is ultimately accountable to Burlington City Council. The committee is proposed to consist of the Mayor, the City Manager, the Council member serving as current Chair of the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee, key senior municipal staff, and representation from Burlington Economic Development (both the Board and staff).
Additional partner-based stakeholders such as community leaders, the heads of community organizations, and representatives of private corporations are proposed be part of smaller project specific task forces that are accountable and report out to the BLP Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee, which is the group that will look for partnership opportunities they can research, determine the risk and decide if there is enough in the way of benefits to the city to proceed. If they come to consensus, they take their decision/recommendation to city Council where the decision to proceed will be made.
There doesn’t appear to be much in the way of public participation or opportunities for people to delegate. The Steering Committee meetings will not be public.
Why is the Burlington Lands Partnership Needed?
• There are several strategically positioned and emerging municipal land development opportunities within Burlington, but there is no single entity that has the mandate and resources to realize the opportunities for the long-term benefit of the City.
• There is widespread support for the City to take a greater strategic role in targeting municipal land development in Burlington.
• Burlington has many active community organizations and not-for-profits which could engage in mutually beneficial partnerships to aid in developing communities within Burlington.
• A partnership in this form allows for the City, Burlington Economic Development (Burlington EcDev), and a coalition of public and private sector partners to pursue additional funding and strategic partnerships including but not limited to the Halton Region, Province of Ontario and Government of Canada.
The widespread support is not something that Gazette has heard of or become aware of and this council does not have a mandate to undertake something as large as what is being proposed..
Mandate of BLP
Throughout 2020, urbanMetrics was engaged by the City of Burlington to assess the viability, function and structure of a municipal corporation or other strategic land entity to facilitate the development of City owned lands with a focus on economic development and city building initiatives.
There was once a house on the corner of this property that was owned by the city. It was torn down to increase parking in the Caroline – John Street intersection. Little thought was given to creating a parking lot with a permeable surface to aid in rain water run off. City bureaucrats seldom have their ear to the ground and are rarely aware of what the public wants.
The study was undertaken in conjunction with a governance study conducted by MDB Insight to examine the role of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation. The recommended approach to a strategic land development entity, which was subsequently brought forward and recommended by the City Manager as the Burlington Land Partnership (BLP).
• The internal strategic real estate structure would involve Burlington EcDev, as well as other, potential partners, such as Halton Region, other public agencies, private industry and private and public institutions including not-for-profit community groups, as required.
• Oversite and strategic direction would be provided by a steering committee that would ultimately be accountable to Council. The City Manager, as staff lead, would be responsible for strategic managerial leadership and would serve as chair of the steering committee. Outside consulting expertise would be engaged as needed.
The mandate of the organization or partnership would be on leveraging real estate to:
o Maximise opportunities for economic growth and job creation;
o Develop and implement city building projects; and
o Create opportunities for the development of affordable housing.
Ultimately the BLP should have access to City staff and other resources to seek, identify and develop strategic land opportunities into viable projects; to direct the acquisition and disposition of related City lands; to undertake land and facility development visioning and design; to obtain necessary planning approvals; and to fully engage with outside partners.
• Initially, the BLP should be tasked with seeking, identifying and developing opportunities into viable strategic land projects. A number of opportunities have been presented through the urbanMetrics and Cresa studies. These, as well as others that may be identified in the future, need to be more formally prioritized and envisioned complete with detailed project plans, recommended by the BLP Steering Committee and approved by City Council.
• The BLP would be the first step towards the creation of a municipal development corporation, however this would not occur until 2023 (at the earliest) following a reporting to Council on the activities and accomplishments of the BLP in 2021/22.
• Establishing the BLP as a first step, achieves a good balance among the opportunities, the desire for augmented internal strategic land capabilities, the current resource capacity limitations and the need for due diligence and caution.
The longer term goal is to have the city getting into the the development business. Is there a supportable collection of data that identifies the public buy in on an idea of this magnitude? The is not a small potatoes idea.
After an initial start-up period of two years, the organization should be evaluated on an annual basis, with respect to achieving measurable results related to:
o Supporting job creation, business creation and economic expansion;
o Developing and implementation of community-wide “City building” projects;
o Realizing tangible affordable housing opportunities and increased housing supply;
o Fiscal impact (increased assessment base/taxes, development charges, other fees);
o Enhancing the profile of the City and contributing to the public identity of Best City to Live in Canada;
o Supporting the City’s 25-year Strategic Plan, Council’s Vision to Focus 4-year work plan and community planning and other land related policies; and
o Delivering value for money and cost effectiveness to Burlington taxpayers.
The city basically built the Pier twice.
Seeing a set of benchmarks that would be used would certainly help the public decide if the idea has merit and serves the public and not the career aspirations of the bureaucratic cohort at city hall.
Remember the Pier.
BLP Working Groups
To be determined by the Steering Committee with approval by Council on a project- by-project basis as part of a separate project brief/plan.
Duration and Transition
The Burlington Land Partnership will function during an initial “pilot period” of two years including 2021 and 2022. A report on the strategic activities and outcomes of the BLP will be presented to Council prior to the end of their 2018-2022 terms and will include recommendations for consideration for the 2023-2026 term of Council.
The BLP represents a transitional approach that allows for the expansion of organizational capacity and a build-up of expertise that will in turn enable further consideration by Council of a formalized municipal development corporation (MDC) in line with other municipalities in Ontario and utilizing the powers allowed under the Municipal Act related to municipal corporations.
Overall, the Steering Committee will make recommendations to Council and decisions (where applicable) in the best interest of the City as a whole.
Agendas and Meeting Notes:
Agendas (including confidential materials as it related to property and legal matters) will be published ahead of meeting date, including attached documents required for discussion and decision making. Deadlines for attachments need to be respected to provide adequate time to read all required material to allow for comprehensive participation. If required, agenda items may be deferred at request of BLP member if materials are not distributed by deadlines.
BLP agendas and meeting notes will managed/prepared by the City Manager’s Office (CMO) and shared confidentially with Steering Committee members, City Clerk and Council Members.
The only thing left to do is order the new business cards.
Part 1 of a 4 part series.
Part 2 of a 4 part series
By Pepper Parr
February 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
There is another on-line news source in town.
It’s been around for a number of months.
People we talk to regularly tell us that they don’t communicate that well. Email sent to the local news doesn’t always get a response or if there is a response, there is no detail.
Former ward 1 city councillor Rick Craven covers city hall with a focus on Aldershot.
Kim Phillips, at one time was City Clerk and moved up to serve as a General Manager. She took retirement when Jeff Fielding was City Manager – the chemistry between the two was never very good.
Right now former Councillor Rick Craven and former City General Manager Kim Phillips have been contributors.
The owner hasn’t, to the best of our knowledge, hasn’t written a word.
The web site was registered in July of this year by former Mayor Rick Goldring.
Many thought that Goldring had returned to his financial management routes and was putting together a client list.
It appears that he has found an interest in journalism – but you won’t see his name anywhere on the web site.
Not a word on who owns what is known as www.local-news.ca
The fact that Goldring registered the site does not mean he is the beneficial owner. We will track down the corporate records for Local-News.ca Inc., and find out who the directors are.
There are some administrative issues with the site.
One reader advised us that the Twitter feed for the site has been suspended.
Twitter account for the local news was suspended.
“Go onto the local-news.ca website, click on twitter symbol
I get:”
@localnewsburl
Account suspended
Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter Rules.
There are a reported 24 followers on the Facebook page.
We can remember when the Gazette got as few as 500 readers in a day; hang in, stay patient, deliver value to your readers and be transparent.
By Pepper Parr
February 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is lengthy. It sets out what the city has decided it wants to do on development projects that will put tax money at risk. None of what is now known as the Burlington Lands Project was discussed, nor even mentioned, during the last municipal election.
Part 2 of a four part series
What is the Burlington Lands Partnership?
The Burlington Lands Partnership (“BLP”) is a flexible, multi-dimensional and integrated approach that seeks to address multiple areas of municipal strategic land management including acquisition and development. This strategic forward-looking approach will encompass the leveraging of future municipal land investments to maximize the potential benefits for the City and related partners.
For the City, the BLP will initially focus on achieving tangible and measurable community benefits and returns in three areas: supporting economic growth and direct job creation, completing “city building” projects and delivering much needed affordable housing.
Oversight and strategic direction will be provided by a new steering committee that is ultimately accountable to Burlington City Council. The committee is proposed to consist of the Mayor, the City Manager, the Council member serving as current Chair of the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee, key senior municipal staff, and representation from Burlington Economic Development (both the Board and staff).
Additional partner-based stakeholders such as community leaders, the heads of community organizations, and representatives of private corporations are proposed to be part of smaller project specific task forces that are accountable and report to the BLP Steering Committee.
Why is the Burlington Lands Partnership Needed?
There are parts of this fair city that could use some development – or to use the language planners use – put the land to better use.
• There are several strategically positioned and emerging municipal land development opportunities within Burlington, but there is no single entity that has the mandate and resources to realize the opportunities for the long-term benefit of the City.
• The establishment of a full-scale municipal development corporation (MDC), under the Municipal Act, would involve an onerous amount of capital investment and resources, which would challenge the City’s current strategic priorities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported to CPRM Committee (CM-29-20, Oct. 6,20), a different approach is needed at this time.
• There is widespread support for the City to take a greater strategic role in targeting municipal land development in Burlington.
• Burlington has many active community organizations and not-for-profits which could engage in mutually beneficial partnerships to aid in developing communities within Burlington.
• A partnership in this form allows for the City, Burlington Economic Development (Burlington EcDev), and a coalition of public and private sector partners to pursue additional funding and strategic partnerships including but not limited to the Halton Region, Province of Ontario and Government of Canada.
Mandate of BLP
Throughout 2020, urbanMetrics was engaged by the City of Burlington to assess the viability, function and structure of a municipal development corporation or other strategic land entity to facilitate the development of City owned lands with a focus on economic development and city building initiatives.
The study was undertaken in conjunction with a governance study conducted by MDB Insight to examine the role of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation.
In addition to a case study review of the land development entities in other municipalities and an assessment of development opportunities within the City, the urbanMetrics study included an extensive consultation program with the Burlington business community, Council and City staff and the Burlington Economic Development Corporation. The recommended approach to a strategic land development entity, which was subsequently brought forward and recommended by the City Manager as the Burlington Land Partnership (BLP), involved the following:
• The internal strategic real estate structure would involve Burlington EcDev, as well as other, potential partners, such as Halton Region, other public agencies, private industry and private and public institutions including not-for-profit community groups, as required.
• Oversite and strategic direction would be provided by a steering committee that would ultimately be accountable to Council. The City Manager, as staff lead, would be responsible for strategic managerial leadership and would serve as chair of the steering committee. Outside consulting expertise would be engaged as needed.
• The mandate of the organization or partnership would be on leveraging real estate to:
o Maximize opportunities for economic growth and job creation;
o Develop and implement city building projects; and
o Create opportunities for the development of affordable housing.
• Ultimately the BLP should have access to City staff and other resources to seek, identify and develop strategic land opportunities into viable projects; to direct the acquisition and disposition of related City lands; to undertake land and facility development visioning and design; to obtain necessary planning approvals; and to fully engage with outside partners.
• Initially, the BLP should be tasked with seeking, identifying and developing opportunities into viable strategic land projects. A number of opportunities have been presented through the urbanMetrics and Cresa studies. These, as well as others that may be identified in the future, need to be more formally prioritized and envisioned complete with detailed project plans, recommended by the BLP Steering Committee and approved by City Council.
• The BLP would be the first step towards the creation of a municipal development corporation, however this would not occur until 2023 (at the earliest) following a reporting to Council on the activities and accomplishments of the BLP in 2021/22.
• Establishing the BLP as a first step, achieves a good balance among the opportunities, the desire for augmented internal strategic land capabilities, the current resource capacity limitations and the need for due diligence and caution.
• The BLP will:
o Place a priority corporate focus on realizing strategic land opportunities.
o Build on and leverage existing skills, relationships and expertise within the City and Burlington EcDev.
o Enable an interim integrating structure to build organization capacity and expertise and deliver key outcomes related to strategic land management.
o Provide increased organizational capacity through the development and approval of ongoing due diligence contracts with external services firm(s) that have expertise across all facets of strategic land management.
o Provide an integrated and accountable organizational structure including a steering committee, designated staff leads and enhanced business processes including Council oversight (both open and closed session reporting in keeping with the City’s existing procedural by-law).
After an initial start-up period of two years, the organization should be evaluated on an annual basis, with respect to achieving measurable results related to:
o Supporting job creation, business creation and economic expansion;
o Developing an implementation of community-wide “City building” projects;
o Realizing tangible affordable housing opportunities and increased housing supply;
o Fiscal impact (increased assessment base/taxes, development charges, other fees);
o Enhancing the profile of the City and contributing to the public identity of Best City to Live in Canada;
o Supporting the City’s 25-year Strategic Plan, Council’s Vision to Focus 4-year work plan and community planning and other land related policies; and
o Delivering value for money and cost effectiveness to Burlington taxpayers.
Vision
Burlington remains a prosperous, vibrant and affordable community that continues to be one of Canada’s best places to live and do business, with a remarkable quality of life strengthened through partnerships, economic development and city building initiatives.
Mission
Through innovation, strategy and partnerships, the Burlington Lands Partnership, will pursue and unlock the potential of strategic land opportunities that enhance the quality of life and growth of Burlington residents and businesses.
Principles
The Burlington Lands Partnership will:
• Place a priority corporate focus on realizing strategic land opportunities.
• Build on and leverage existing skills, relationships, and expertise within the City and Burlington EcDev.
• Facilitate coordination and cooperation between community organizations, not-for- profits, private corporations, and the City and Burlington EcDev.
• Enable an interim structure to build organization capacity and deliver key outcomes related to strategic land management.
• Provide an integrated and accountable organizational structure including a steering committee, designated staff leads and enhanced business processes including Council oversight (both open and closed session reporting).
Strategic Focus
The Burlington Land Partnership will use a wide range of approaches depending on what is appropriate or possible and contingent on the needs, interested partners, and resources available for any one specific strategic land related project or opportunity.
The BLP will:
• Lend expertise and enable connections to commercial and residential land development that is undertaken by the City of Burlington, land holding community organizations or not-for-profits or private developers interested in working with the BLP.
• Work with private businesses to foster job-creating commercial real estate developments in strategic areas such as the Innovation District and Major Transit Station Areas.
The Wellington Tower is part of the Regional Government Housing inventory.
• Partner with Halton Region and other organizations with an affordable housing mandate, to develop affordable housing or seek to incorporate additional affordable housing into future private or public housing developments, including but not limited to the completion and implementation of the City of Burlington Comprehensive Housing Strategy starting in 2021.
• Work with other interested potential partners and key stakeholders to ensure all surplus school sites within Burlington are evaluated and where possible, developed in a manner that improves quality of life in the local neighbourhoods and generates public value.
• Place a strategic focus on the following three priorities:
1) Encouraging Economic Development.
Objective: To maximize business development opportunities and advance future economic growth and job creation.
Key Stakeholders:
– Local businesses
– Regional businesses seeking to expand their presence
– New businesses to the region
– Commercial property developers
– Regional Municipality of Halton
– Provincial and Federal funding partners
2) Implementing City-Building Initiatives
Objective: To facilitate the implementation of city building projects that enhance the quality of life for all citizens.
Key Stakeholders:
– City Building project partners
– Regional Municipality of Halton
– Local landowners and property developers
– Provincial and Federal funding partners
3) Delivering Affordable Housing
Objective: Develop and implement projects that deliver an increased supply of affordable housing through proactive long-term strategies and innovative partnerships.
Key Stakeholders:
– Regional Municipality of Halton
– Residential Property Developers
– Housing Focused Not-for-Profits (such as Habitat for Humanity)
– Provincial and Federal funding partners
GOVERNANCE
Overview
The Burlington Lands Partnership governance structure borrows from lessons in other municipalities and the ongoing operations of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation. First, BLP is led by and accountable to Burlington City Council. Second, BLP provides an integrated and accountable organizational structure including a steering committee, designated staff leads, and enhanced business processes with Council oversight including both open and closed session reporting.
Oversight and strategic direction are provided by a steering committee that is ultimately accountable to City Council. The committee is comprised of the Mayor, the City Manager, selected members of Council and appropriate senior staff, and representation from Burlington EcDev.
BLP Steering Committee
The BLP Steering Committee will provide ongoing strategic leadership and oversight and will be established by City Council with approval of BLP Terms of Reference.
Membership consisting of the following for a period of 2 years (with exception of Chair of CPRM committee which is 1 year concurrently with their term as chair).
– Mayor.
– Current Chair of the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee of Council.
– City Manager (Chair).
– Chief Financial Officer.
– Executive Director – Legal Services and Corporate Counsel.
– Executive Director – Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility.
– Executive Director – Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services
– Executive Director – Burlington Economic Development.
– Board Member – Burlington Economic Development.
The BLP will meet on a regular basis (anticipate 3-4 meetings/year) with agenda management including meeting notes prepared/completed to the satisfaction of the City Clerk in keeping with City’s procedural by-law.
BLP Working Groups
• To be determined by the Steering Committee with approval by Council on a project-by-project basis as part of a separate project brief/plan.
Duration and Transition
The Burlington Land Partnership will function during an initial “pilot period” of two years including 2021 and 2022. A report on the strategic activities and outcomes of the BLP will be presented to Council prior to the end of their 2018-2022 terms and will include recommendations for consideration for the 2023-2026 term of Council.
The BLP represents a transitional approach that allows for the expansion of organizational capacity and a build-up of expertise that will in turn enable further consideration by Council of a formalized municipal development corporation (MDC) in line with other municipalities in Ontario and utilizing the powers allowed under the Municipal Act related to municipal corporations.
There is a lot to be said about this initiative. That it gets presented to the public just before the current Council begins to move into election mode (the next municipal election is just 20 months away) and put on the table while the country is fighting a second wave of the COVID-19 virus can be seen as a little foolhardy.
Part 1 of a 4 part series.
By Staff
February 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Ontario will begin to gradually reopen its economy on Wednesday but the government could use an “emergency brake” to move regions back into lockdown if cases spike.
Premier Doug Ford announcing a transition out of the strict lock-down.
Premier Doug Ford said Monday that a state of emergency will be allowed to expire as scheduled on Tuesday and regions will transition back to the province’s colour-coded pandemic restrictions system over the next three weeks.
A stay-at-home order will remain in place for communities until they move over to the tiered system.
“We can’t return to normal, not yet,” Ford said. “But we can transition out of the province wide shut-down.”
As part of its reopening efforts, the province is changing the rules for the strictest category of the restrictions system to allow previously closed retailers to reopen with capacity limits of 25 per cent.
“To those business owners who are struggling, I want you to know that we have listened,” Ford said.“We’ve been working day and night to find every possible way to safely allow more businesses to reopen.”
Where will reopening start?
Three health units — Hastings Prince Edward; Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington; and Renfrew County — will move into the least-restrictive green category on Wednesday, which means restaurants and non-essential businesses can reopen.
The Timiskaming Health Unit, which was also expected to move to the green category Wednesday, will be held back for a week since a COVID-19 variant was discovered in the region over the weekend, the province said.
On Feb. 16, all remaining regions (this includes all of Halton and Hamilton) but not the three hot spots in the Greater Toronto Area are set to move to the restrictions framework. The category they are placed in will depend on their local case infection rates.
Toronto, Peel Region and York Region are expected to be the last to make the transition on Feb. 22, but the province said any sudden increase in cases could delay that plan.
Deputy Premier Christine Elliott saying this is not a re-opening – it is a transition with a hand brake at the ready.
The province will also have an “emergency brake” in place to allow the government to quickly move a region back into lockdown if it experiences a rapid increase in cases or if its health-system becomes overwhelmed.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said the measure is meant to help deal with the risk posed by new variants of COVID-19.
“This is not a reopening, or a return to normal,” she said of the changes announced Monday. “It’s an acknowledgement that we are making steady progress.
“Without those stronger public health measures, (Ford) might be dooming us to the cycle of illness and lockdowns, again and again,” she said.
By Staff
February 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is reinstating parking enforcement of 5-hour limit on Feb. 11.
Residents got a break on-the-street parking rules – it does seem a little early to crack down. – maybe the city needs the money.
The Councillors in wards 4 and 5 can expect phone calls on this one.
Parking enforcement will resume for those illegally parked on neighbourhood streets past the five-hour limit in addition to safety-related issues such as fire routes, accessible parking, no parking/stopping areas and blocked areas, including parking lots at City parks.
Residents needing to park on-street past the 5-hour limit can apply for a parking permit or exemptions online beginning on Feb. 11 at www.burlington.ca/parkingexemption.
Parking Supervisor, Hayley Parkinson explains: “The City parking team has been monitoring parking over the past 11 months. We’ve been tracking parking trends and noticed that some drivers are parking on-street for extended periods of time, while others working in the area are parking illegally. Drivers are also continuing to park on-street when it snows, making it challenging for snow plows to get through safely and do their job to clear our streets.
“With the potential end of the Ontario Stay-at-Home order, it seems like an appropriate time to start enforcing the 5-hour on-street parking limit to help keep our roads open to drivers and snow plows and keep our residents safe.”
Notice how public safety is trotted out for almost everything the city doesn’t want you to do.
Community questions and requests regarding City of Burlington services can be directed to Service Burlington by phone at 905-335-7777, by email at city@burlington.ca or online.
By Pepper
February 9th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
A regular eagle eyed reader who follows the Mayor on Twitter brought this to our attention.
He points out that the flag used in the tweet is not the correct version
He then adds that we cannot use his name saying “I don’t want to be in her bad books.” adding that “errors are errors.”
The unfortunate part of this is that there are people who feel they will be in the “bad books” of an elected official if they call them out on something. This is really unhealthy for a democratic society.
What, though, if we have a Mayor who is spiteful with a vengeful streak?
What do you do then?
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Frank van Dam
February 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON ON
For people who love to go out, 2021 is likely to be another dismal year, unfortunately. None of the recent news has been overly positive, and much less so for those of us who like to move around a lot.
The picture inside isn’t any better. The hospitality sector has been hit very hard.
Unfortunately, with the way things are going, it looks like a lot more curtailing of movement and sacrifice is on the cards for us for the foreseeable future. In short, things are getting better for Burlington residents, but they are getting better very slowly. There is light at the end of the tunnel for all of us, but it’s still very far away.
Where we stand right now
Doug Ford’s lockdown orders are into their third month now and show no sign of letting up. In fact, in neighbouring Oakville, Halton Regional Police recently chased a crowd of socially-distanced families off a very popular local tobogganing hill. Technically, apart from emergencies, we are expected to not even leave our region. There is no indoor dining at all at this time, something most of us didn’t think we would miss as much as we do. Everything is closing earlier, which is leading to more stress and sometimes more traffic jams, which in turn add even more to the stress.
For people who like to travel, the news might be even worse. The federal government has imposed new and very strict quarantine measures for returning international travellers. In fact, they are so strict, they are facing legal challenges now. However, they are still very much in effect. The Trudeau administration has also issued an order banning cruise ships from docking at Canadian ports for the next year, that is until February of 2022! People either support or hate these measures, and it’s not to spark an argument, but the regulations are in place, and we will have to obey them.
First we had it – then we didn’t have it – and now we aren’t certain as to just when the vaccine will arrive.
Vaccines delayed… again
On the vaccine front, the news isn’t the best, either. Both Pfizer and Moderna (the only two companies the Canadian government has approved to sell vaccines as of now) are unable to deliver the required orders of the vaccines on time. This pushes the whole timetable backwards. Honestly, this news could be much worse, and we suppose that gratitude is still in order because the vaccination program is still advancing. It’s just that it is approximately 20 or 25% slower than it was supposed to be. But it’s hard to keep a positive frame of mind with so much uncertainty.
It also bears no small mention that there is a psychological price to pay for all this confinement, all this uncertainty, and all this upheaval in our personal and professional lives. We’ve all literally had to completely redefine and overhaul so many aspects of our lives, often things we thought would never change. And let’s be honest here, none of us really knows what a post-pandemic world is actually going to look like. New industries may spring up out of nowhere before this is over, and many other types of businesses may well wind up having being made permanently obsolete.
There are walk-able winter trails within minutes of the downtown core.
So, what are we to do?
We strongly recommend that readers get their daily fresh air and exercise by walking around Burlington, which is truly a beautiful little city and very walkable. Anybody who isn’t doing this every day is missing out on an important little piece of sanity. For people who have too much time on their hands (many of us), online entertainment is a great option. Play card games or free online casino games, stream some movies or pick up a gaming console. Realize that this time shall pass.
We will get through this mess by sticking together like we always do.
By Pepper Parr
February 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 1 of a 4 part series.
On October 19, 2020, City Council approved the following recommendation related to the establishment of a new organizational structure called the Burlington Lands Partnership (BLP) –
Using the language of the Vision to Focus (V2F) which is the part of the 25 year Strategic Plan the city has in place, the purpose of the BLP is to:
Increase economic prosperity and community responsive city growth
Support sustainable infrastructure and a resilient environment
Increasing options for housing across the city
There is quite a bit more to it than that, which we will get to.
Last week, Council approved the Terms of Reference and funding in the amount of $250,000 from the Strategic Plan Reserve Fund to support the year one operations.
The City Manager was directed to report back on the following:
How much of the city will the new BLP want to put shovels into the ground? Is there a risk the public should be willing to take?
• In Q2 2021, following consultation with the BLP Steering Committee, with the proposed Burlington lands partnership operating model and the 2021/22 business plan objectives; and
• In Q3 2022, with a status update report on the Burlington lands partnership including overall 2021/22 performance/accomplishments, detailed financial report, both operating and capital budget related and recommendations for future strategic land management.
In an Appendix to the City Manager’s report in 2020 Strategic Land Priorities and Business Model Framework Options were set out. They were to:
Business development opportunities and advance future economic growth and job creation.
Implement major city building projects that enhance the quality of life for all citizens.
Deliver increased supply of affordable housing through proactive long-term strategies and innovative partnerships.
Direct the City Manager to engage further with the Burlington Economic Development Corporation and key City staff in the development of the Burlington Lands Partnership Terms of Reference and the Proposed 2021/2022 Business Plan and report back for Council consideration and approval in December 2020
An RFP was awarded December 2019 to MDB Insights led by the Executive Vice- President Lauren Millier and to urbanMetrics with Partner Rowan Faludi.
The consultant worked through a Steering Committee to complete the work outlined in the RFP and also engaged the Board of Directors for Burlington Economic Development (Burlington EcDev), Council and City staff.
The consultant’s report was presented and received by the Community Planning, Mobility and Regulation Committee on Oct. 6, 2020. Several options as to the structure of what the city council thought they wanted to do were debated. Among the organizational options were:
1. New Municipal Development Corporation (MDC)
2. New Burlington Lands Partnership (BLP) – APPROVED
3. Internal COB Strategic Lands Project Team
4. Hybrid: Build strategic land management capacity and expertise and re-consider need for MDC in 2 years.
The Lands Partnership is a significantly new and different direction for Burlington.
Other than reports to Council there has been little in the way of informing the public on just what it means to have a Lands Partnership.
The BLP has the $250,000, taken from the Strategic Plan Reserve Fund, which has has an uncommitted balance of $548,877.
City Manager Tim Commisso will be the strong man behind the Burlington Lands Project. He will chair the Steering Committee which will in turn take projects to the city for approval.
The funding will be used to support the ongoing work of the BLP including and dependent of the needs of each strategic land initiative, completion of external due diligence across a broad range of disciplines (e.g. land economic analysis, professional services including architectural/urban design, engineering, financial planning, fiscal impact analysis etc.).
The language in the paragraph above clearly indicates that the BLP wants to acquire land or use land the city already owns and build things and create partnerships with other organizations that have land the city thinks can be put to use. Think in terms of the Region of Halton, Burlington Hydro.
This could be seen as a municipal administration playing a revised form of monopoly with public money.
Responsibility for the ongoing financial management and reporting related to the BLP will be through the City Manager’s Office with oversight by the BLP Steering Committee which includes the Chief Financial Officer as a member.
It deserves very close attention.
By Staff
February 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is commissioning an artist to create a public art piece for the Regal Road bridge.
Residents are invited to share their thoughts on three finalists chosen by an independent jury. The three proposed designs can be viewed and commented on by logging into or joining the City’s engagement platform: getinvolvedburlington.ca/regalroadbridgepublicart. The comments received, along with the technical and detailed design proposals, will inform the jury’s final selection.
Looking south along Tuck creek
The artwork will be 10 laser-cut steel panels installed on the concrete sidewall of the bridge this summer. An independent jury reviewed 54 applications and selected three artists to develop detailed design plans.
The jury chose:
• bau & cos, www.bauandcos.com
• Karen Ho Fatt Lee, www.karenhofatt.com
• Laura Wood & Dawn Tyrrell, https://laurawood.ca/
Public art will be put in place on both sides of the bridge.
Artwork Location
The Regal Road Bridge crosses Tuck Creek and is located on Regal Road, between Oakwood Drive and Swinburne Road. The bridge was upgraded in 2019 as part of the City’s flood mitigation project. One artist will be commissioned to create a series of 10 unique laser cut steel panels to enhance the bridge.
The panels will celebrate the community and/or natural environment surrounding Regal Road and Tuck Creek.
Submit Feedback on Three Proposed Designs
Burlington residents are invited to review the three proposed designs and say what you think. These comments, along with the technical and detailed design proposals will help the jury make their final selection.
By Staff
February 8th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Being in lock-down mode and being asked to “stay at home” leads to some interesting results.
One Burlington resident, known for catching our typos, decided to learn what Wikipedia had to say about his home town.
The author of the following has asked to remain anonymous; could it be that he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the city?
Do read on.
Many school age Burlington students are forced by this prolonged pandemic to get their information online; their Go-To source for instant information is Wikipedia.
The best mid-size city in Canada is Burlington (as everyone already knows) and researchers will Google us to find: Wikipedia. Burlington Ontario.
Let us examine what Wikipedia says about Burlington. Our: History, Elected officials, Economy, Media, Shopping.
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, Burlington forms the west end of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also part of the Hamilton metropolitan census area. Burlington lies between Lake Ontario’s north shore and the Niagara Escarpment.
That truly boring descriptive tells readers we are “at the west end of Toronto alongside Milton”.
What else can we learn?
History. By 1906, the town boasted its own newspaper—the Burlington Gazette—as well as a town library and a local rail line that connected Burlington to nearby Hamilton.
Allow us to update – The Original Burlington Gazette ran 1899-1956 and by 1906 – Burlington was already on its third railway station at Freeman. The “local Rail Line” was an integral part of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, at that time the LONGEST railway in the world.
Who are we?
Wikipedia says people who live here are either: Burlingtonians or Burlingtonites.
Only the first name sounds familiar, maybe it’s for day use?
Then Wikipedia shows us this image of our flag:
…but wait, that’s NOT our flag.
This is our flag – with a full three masted schooner – not some puny rowboat.
Burly, our beautiful moo-cow, should grace the upper left corner of the shield not a My Little Pony Bridled Unicorn. Nay I say. Wikipedia must fix this immediately.
Let us keep going to “print media”,
The following publications are either published in or around Burlington, or have Burlington as one of their main subjects:
• Burlington Post
• Snap Burlington
• Burlington News
• View Magazine
• Burlington Gazette
A closer inspection of these five:
This is what the original Burlington Gazette office on Brant Street used to look like.
• Burlington Post – we know (and love)
• Snap Burlington – Is that Snap’d Burlington – (let’s let Snap’d fix their own listing)
• What is this “Burlington News”??? Clicking on Wiki’s link reveals “nothing found”there
• View Magazine. This paper is out of Hamilton and what does VIEW Magazine’s search engine say about Burlington…?
View’s latest article dated Feb 1 2020 tells us:
Burlington’s Shane Wright lives up to ‘exceptional’ status in OHL and is averaging over a point per game in first year with Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League.
Shane’s a good Burlington boy – he’s a beauty – and a pretty good hockey player up there in Kingston, eh?
• Last but not least – it is good to see our own Burlington Gazette listed. Perhaps they could add a link.
• Remove “Burlington News” and add Hamilton Spectator instead.
• Also add “The Bay Observer”
Elected officials
Moving on to Wikipedia’s section on our elected officials and most of this public record is right – well, except…
• Oakville North-Burlington (the area bounded by Highway 407 to the north, Dundas Street to the south, Guelph Line to the west and Oakville to the east): Pam Damoff (Liberal).
The MP for Oakville North Burlington would be very surprised to what Wikipedia thinks her constituency boundaries are.
What kind of crazy is this?
Wikipedia has removed 90% of Pam Damoff’s riding constituents, including everyone living between Dundas and the QEW? Certainly this needs to be fixed even if just for the integrity of our elections.
Shopping
COVID’s impact notwithstanding, according to Wikipedia, there are only two shopping areas in town: Mapleview Mall and Burlington Mall.
Breaking news: Burlington Mall’s name was changed to Burlington Centre years ago.
Their picture shows a jam-packed frenzy of shoppers doing their Xmas shopping at the Old Mall. Methinks it is time for a new photo.
And by the way, there are plenty of other shopping areas in town. Big box stores, strip plazas, power marts, and so on. Wikipedia could mention those.
Economy
How about the economy? Who are Burlington’s main employers – the “big-name heavy hitters” according to Wikipedia?
The top five private sector employers in Burlington are Fearmans Pork Inc, Cogeco Cable, Evertz Microsystems, Boehringer Ingelheim and EMC2.
Yes – those are some of the biggies? Who are the other notable businesses??
Other notable businesses include The EBF Group, ARGO Land Development, and The Sunshine Doughnut Company.
Wait – what? Hold the phone. The Sunshine Doughnut Company makes top 10?
Voortman Cookies didn’t make the cut?
Nor did Samuel Steel, Pinty’s Foods, Thermo-Fisher, Pollard Windows?
This donut photo is NOT on Wikipedia – instead they have posted these drab glamour shots of Burlington doing its best impression of Tombstone Arizona.
Let’s look in greater detail next week – and not just bring problems but bring solutions.
By Staff
February 7th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Several of Canada’s finest instrumental jazz musicians, will be on-line February 10th – 7pm via Zoom – not to be missed.
Thanks to a generous grant from the City of Burlington’s Community Support Fund, a special program created to support Burlington artists during the pandemic, One Burlington has commissioned Joe Sealy and his colleague Paul Novotny to create a special 25-minute video version of Africville Stories to be launched in Burlington at 7 pm on Wednesday February 10th , 2021.
Joe Sealy and Paul Novotny will be available for a Q&A immediately after the showing. The video will subsequently be provided to both Burlington school boards for telecasts during the week of February 15th.
Africville was seen as a slum – but it was home to a small but very robust black community that was forgotten until the city of Halifax wanted to develop the land.
Joe Sealy is one of Canada’s premier jazz pianists and composers. His Africville Suite won a Juno Award as Best Jazz Recording of 1996. Joe Sealy subsequently created an attraction called Africville Stories, which relates the stories behind the various musical selections in the Suite. He wrote several additional songs for the great Canadian jazz/gospel/blues singer Jackie Richardson, who serves as Narrator for the 75-minute work. Africville Stories also features several of Canada’s finest instrumental jazz musicians, including saxophonist Alison Young, bassist Paul Novotny and percussionist Daniel Barnes.
Africville is a community on the outskirts of Halifax that had little, if anything, in the way of municipal services. The residents of that community were treated terribly.
One Burlington, Burlington’s organization dedicated to the celebration of faith and culture in the City of Burlington, is planning an event in commemoration of Black History Month.
Africville Stories is Joe Sealy’s musical tribute to the Halifax community of Africville, a neighbourhood built by generations of Black immigrants to Nova Scotia subsequent to their arrival from post-Revolutionary America. The community was razed to the ground in 1960 as part of a Halifax urban renewal project. Joe Sealy’s mother was born and raised there.
Paul Novotny
Africville Stories fit well into One Burlington’s mandate to celebrate the cultural diversity of its citizenry, and especially those communities that are under-served, and to provide insights into the often difficult histories of these multicultural communities. We stand proud in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Joe Sealy’s Africville Stories, featuring Jackie Richardson and Paul Novotny.
Wednesday February 10th, 2021 at 7 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.usj8507806860?pwd=MFVlKzZsTnBEbWZCNCt5MkkyWGd1UT09
Meeting ID: 885 0780 6860
Passcode: 231098
If that link doesn’t work, please go to zoom.us and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode to get in that way!
For more information contact Robert Missen at 905-632-6047 or rmissen@sympatico.ca
By Staff
February 6th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Shadi Salehian, Chair of One Burlington, and Dan Fraser, organizer for the upcoming Share the Love, are the driving force behind the city-wide Food Drive from Feb 6 to 13th.
Dan and his wife Merrilee Fraser have been spearheading this Food drive by contacting grocery stores and faith groups in Burlington: they are very surprised how welcoming and generous their fellow neighbours have been. A diverse, integrated Burlington is a stronger, kinder and more interesting community to live in.
One Burlington was founded by several faith groups after the Quebec mosque shooting in 2017, One Burlington celebrates the multi-faith, multicultural foundation of our community. They believe the contributions of our diverse faith and cultural groups continue to strengthen Burlington and make it one of the best places to reside. It’s an organization of over 40 faith and non-faith groups who hope to create opportunities for people of different backgrounds to come together in a peaceful and cordial manner; to learn about and experience aspects of each others’ faith and culture.
If you are in need or know of someone who could use their help PLEASE have them send an email to info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca or call 905-637-2273 to make arrangements to have food dropped at their door or make arrangements to pick it up through the curb-side pickup option. If you live in Burlington, they are here to help. Don’t struggle – give them a call.
By Pepper Parr
February 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
We reported yesterday on a Motion the Mayor put forward to create a Public Health Bylaw that Council didn’t want to say all that much about at the time.
The Motion put on the Council Table came after a two hour CLOSED session during which it is believed the Meridian Aldershot Quarry and the air pollution issues were discussed. Council had the benefit of advice from legal counsel that had a strong environmental background.
Later this week we will report on a Staff Direction response that set out for Council just what the issues at the Meridian Quarry are and what might be done to mitigate the concern residents that have been raised by the Tayandaga Environmental Coalition.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has taken a significantly different approach to being Mayor than her predecessor Rick Goldring. Goldring took the position that the quarry had a license and there was nothing the city could do.
The West and Centre quarry cells are close to depletion. Meridian Brick wants to open up the East Cell creating air pollution problems for West Haven residents.
In a report Mayor Meed Ward sent to council she sets out what she calls the “Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee(AQCLC)” and its Terms of Reference.
She has created yet another committee that has the potential to make life very difficult (but respectful) for the Meridian Brick people.
1. Mandate The Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee (AQCLC) is group comprised of community stakeholders, city staff and Quarry representatives to provide a forum for discussion, information sharing and action around the Meridian Quarry activity in the Aldershot area of Burlington.
2. Purpose The AQCLC provides an opportunity for respectful dialogue between stakeholders to share questions, concerns, ideas, and new information related to the Quarry’s ongoing activities. The committee is also an opportunity to identify agreed-upon action items by any stakeholders. Note: Any advocacy activities for or against the Quarry’s activity rest solely with external organizations – this committee is not an advocacy group.
3. Member Selection Membership will be comprised of:
Mayor Meed Ward, City of Burlington
Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith, City of Burlington
Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan (based on quarry activity taking place in his ward)
Mike Greenlee, Customer Experience Manager-Business Development, City of Burlington
2 representatives from Meridian Quarry–to be recommended by Meridian Quarry
2 representatives from Tyandaga Environmental Coalition–to be recommended by Tyandaga Environmental Coalition
1 representative from BurlingtonGreen–to be recommended by BurlingtonGreen
1 representative from Conserving Our Rural Ecosystems (CORE) Burlington–to be recommended by CORE
1 representative from Protecting Escarpment Rural Land(PERL) – to be recommended by CORE
1-2 citizen representatives from the Burlington community – to be appointed by a subcommittee of the Mayor, Ward Councillor and Customer Experience Manager based on a call for expressions of interest from the community.
Secretary from the Mayor/Councillor’s office (non-voting)
Ex Officio Tim Commisso, City Manager (optional attendance, not counted for quorum).
That is more than a dozen people for a committee that one Council member said might be around for 25 years.
Additional members can be considered and added with committee approval. Representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will be invited to each meeting.
4. Meeting Roles & Responsibilities Chair:
The meetings will be co-chaired by Mayor Meed Ward and Councillor Galbraith who will oversee setting the agenda and providing advance materials, calling the meetings to order, turning the meeting management to the facilitator, and closing the meeting with summary of next steps. Secretary: a member of the Mayor’s team or Councillor Galbraith’s team will be present to take minutes during the meeting and distribute said minutes to members in a timely manner afterward.
The secretary will also forward agendas and any supporting materials in advance of each meeting, and send calendar invites with virtual connection details. Until further notice, all meetings will be conducted on a virtual platform (Zoom or Teams).
Facilitator: An impartial and trained facilitator appointed by the City of Burlington (TBD but ex: Stephanie Venimore) will move the meeting through the agenda and ensure respectful dialogue occurs, with reasonably equal speaking time be provided to all participants who wish to contribute to the conversation.
5. Meeting Schedule The AQCLC will meet virtually or in person at minimum twice annually, with the option of additional meetings should they be mutually agreed upon by members. Meeting invitations will be sent out several months in advance and will be estimated to be approximately 90 minutes in duration unless the agenda warrants otherwise, and schedules can accommodate.
6. Meeting Protocol The agenda will be distributed by the Secretary one week prior to each meeting. Agenda items for discussion are due to the Mayor’s and Councillor’s office two weeks prior to each committee meeting (one week prior to agenda going out). Items for discussion that are raised after the agenda is circulated will be addressed under “Other Business” if time permits.
Meetings shall be attended by members listed above, with the option to invite additional guests as relevant and when agreed upon by all members.
There is no mention as to whether or not the meetings will be public.
Related news stories:
Could a Public Health Bylaw slow things down at the Adlershot Quarry
Mayor Meed Ward takes on Aldershot Quarry for Ward 1 residents
Former Mayor Goldring struggles to find a position that will satisfy West Haven residents. .
Pepper Parr
February 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
We don’t always get it right and we have learned that sometimes the less said, the better.
Councillor Kearns sent us a note asking for a correction
We had said:
Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns.
Councillor Kearns wanted to see a more honed in approach to whatever it was the Mayor wanted done. Reference was made to where this fit into the V2F document (Vision to Focus) by Kearns but not before she could say that she thought the city was lucky to have Nancy Shea Nicol on Staff (she is the Executive Director of Legal Services) because she was “an amazing person.”
Kearns felt we had gotten it wrong and sent us a note.
Subject: CORRECTION
“I said this about Sheila Jones when I misplaced her professional title.”
Councillor Kearns was objecting to what we wrote. In a response to Kearns we said we wondered why she felt it was necessary for her to “gush” over staff so often.
We (the Gazette) wondered if “gushing” about staff publicly was good politics. Council is there to hold the administration accountable.
Kearns replied: “I only gush about people that deserve it.” Then added “It’s protocol courtesy to thank staff for the reports that come forward.”
Really – there is a protocol saying thou must fawn over every report that staff prepares for Council?
By Pepper Parr
February 5th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum is honoring three nonprofits that overcame long odds to host successful fundraising campaigns in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic as its Programs of the Year.
This year’s honorees include:
The marker in Spencer Smith Park overlooking Lake Ontario. The Brant Inn was directly behind the marker.
The Terry Fox Foundation, which continued to tell the story of its namesake founder and stayed true to its values, even when the pandemic disrupted its plans for 950 community runs across Canada last September. In the face of incredible disruption, the Terry Fox Virtual Run raised nearly $8 million in 2020 – just 3% less than it raised in 2019.
Locally Craig Gardner reminds people that the Burlington community raised more in 2020 than they did in 2019. He adds: just as an update the total raised in Burlington in 2020 has passed the $141K mark with 2 months to go till foundation year end March 31.
A large part of Burlington is home to the memory of Terry Fox.
By Pepper Parr
February 4th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The end result of a good discussion at the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee, (CSSRA) on the use of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations was to:
Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to develop a policy to guide the expansion, operation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on city property.
EV chargers are becoming part of the landscape in may large malls.
Behind that Staff Direction was an informative presentation on what the city has in the way of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and where they are located and the astounding fact that the city cannot charge a user for the electricity they let flow into their vehicles.
Apparently only Burlington Hydro can sell you electricity.
The need to electrify transportation has been identified as a vital action in both the City’s Climate Action Plan and Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan.
EV charging stations downtown
EV charging stations throughout the city.
The City installed its first public access electric vehicle (EV) charging station in 2015 in the downtown parking garage and has expanded its portfolio each year with the largest installation being in 2018 with the addition of 12 dual head stations partially funded under the province’s Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program.
The City of Burlington currently has 23 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations on city property with a total of 44 charging heads. The majority of these units can be found in downtown parking lots.
There are three types of charging stations available for use, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
Level 1 stations would be a charger that would come with an electric vehicle when purchased and plug into a standard 120 volt, 15 amp wall outlet. Charging times at these stations vary with vehicle and charger but will typically charge 200km in approximately 20 hours.
Level 2 stations are stations like the city currently has installed in its parking lots. These are stations with 1 or 2 charging heads using 240 volts and either 40 or 50 amps. Typical charge time at these stations is 200km in approximately 5 hours.
Level 3 stations or “Fast Chargers” operate at direct current (DC) voltage, sometimes as high as 800 volts, and can charge a vehicle 160km in approximately 30 minutes.
Currently all City of Burlington chargers are Level 2 chargers.
Example of a level 2 charging station
In 2020 additional stations were installed for city operated fleet vehicles at Fire Station Headquarters, Roads, Parks and Forestry Operations Centre and the Burlington Animal Shelter.
In 2020, funds from the Parking District reserve were allocated to install 3 additional EV charging stations in City owned parking lots namely in lots 1, 8 and one level 3 EV charger in a lot in close proximity to Brant Street. Due to the reassignment of Parking Services staff and other additional unexpected work assignments, the EV chargers were not installed in 2020. This work is expected to be carried out in 2021.
During budget discussions at the January 12, 2021 CSSRA Committee, staff were directed to provide further information on the Parking District reserve fund specifically related to how the fund is broken down and funded.
The city absorbs the cosy of the electricity that comes from Burlington Hydro The city cannot sell the electricity.
The Parking District reserve fund was set up for funding capital improvements to city owned parking facilities within the downtown as well as funding in years with operating shortfalls. Since the one reserve fund model did not sufficiently differentiate the use of funds, in June 2020 council approved the creation of three separate and distinct reserve funds to ensure the most efficient use of the balance by clearly distinguishing funds for stabilization of operations, lifecycle costing for all parking assets (renewal) and future growth in parking supply.
Parking fines go into the Parking Reserve fund – which at this point is covering the cost of the EV chargers.
As of September 30, 2020 the existing Parking District reserve fund has a balance of $9,566,345.
Based on a financial model the balance is being allocated amongst the three newly created reserve funds as follows:
Parking Renewal – $2.5 million reflects the city’s parking asset inventory and required needs
Stabilization of Operations – $0.2 million this balance reflects a target of 10-15% (3 year rolling average) of operating revenues for the purposes of stabilization of operations
Parking Growth – $6.9 million to reflect the anticipated growth in parking demand
The revenues (and associated percentages) that support the total expenses and provision to the reserve fund are as follows:
property tax levy against the business properties of $304,200 plus a payment in lieu for exempt/partially exempt city properties of $39,327 for a total of $343,527 (13.0%)
parking fines of $470,000 (17.7%)
parking fee revenues of $1,838,546 (69.3%)
Staff believe that it is appropriate to use the Parking District funds to cover the costs of EV chargers for city owned parking facilities in downtown Burlington.
This bar chart shows the number of unique users .
City staff are also currently working on the installation of 11 additional dual head charging stations for spring 2021 that will be accessible to the public. These stations are being installed as part of the council directed budget addition in the 2020 capital budget. Charging stations will be installed at the following city facilities;
– Tansley Woods Community Centre (4 heads)
– Appleby Ice Centre (4 heads)
– Central Park Campus (4 heads)
– Mountainside Recreation Centre (2 heads)
– Haber Recreation Centre / Norton Park (2 heads)
– Nelson Recreation Centre (2 heads)
– Aldershot Arena (2 heads)
– Mountainside Recreation Centre (2 heads)
With the installation of these charging stations the City will have 33 charging stations installed with 26 of those being publicly accessible.
It is expected that additional stations will be installed in the coming years as part of the green fleet strategy for corporate vehicles.
Detailed information on charging usage and times is available for 20 of the city’s 23 chargers. Staff are currently working to secure a more accurate means of monitoring the other three charging stations.
Through the years the utilization of the publicly available charging stations increased annually with the installation of additional charging stations and increased awareness of the stations. However, an obvious dip can be seen in the graph below in March 2020 coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Other sustainable mobility options will be considered and assessed through the development of the Integrated Mobility Plan.
Currently there are no fees for using a city EV charger, however, electricity used for these stations carries an annual cost as does ongoing maintenance and programming/data access for the charging stations.
Annual costs of operating the EV charging stations vary.
These costs are expected to increase annually by an additional $20,000 to $39,000 (electricity cost plus operations/maintenance), depending on charging activity, with the installation of the additional 13 charging stations as part of the 2020 capital budget.
These projected costs do not include the operational costs of the level three charging station that is to be installed in 2021 due to unknown charger specifications and utilization rates.
The City does not charge staff or the public for using the chargers. However, due to the rising utilization of the City’s charging stations and the general growth of the City’s charging assets the addition of an hourly fee to our charging stations is necessary. The City is unable to charge directly for electricity consumption but can base the charge on an hourly rate to use the charging station.
That idea didn’t sit well with most of the Council members. Mayor Meed Ward saw the charging stations as a draw the malls and large box retailers would use to attract traffic.
The usage of the EV charging station has grown – the dip during the first lock-down is evident.
A new policy regarding fees for EV Charging is recommended to be developed in 2021. This would include items such as fees for public users and staff users, charging time limits, introduction of a penalty fee if an overstay is detected, as well as how to direct the funds that are collected.
Currently the cost of electricity consumption at the charging stations are covered under operating budgets for electricity accounts for the various assets that house our charging infrastructure. Installation and ongoing maintenance fees have been covered through facility or parking asset operating budgets.
Since 2015 the city has helped residents and our own corporate fleet reduce emissions by approximately 82.5 tons, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by approximately 1356 seedlings grown for 10 years.
By Pepper Parr
February 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It was one of those walk-on items; a piece of city business that wasn’t on the agenda.
It came from the Mayor who did not appear to have consulted with her peers before the meeting.
There was a certain awkward silence, which is hard to pick up on when the meeting is virtual and you can’t always see all the players at the same time.
It was short; set out as a Staff Direction it read:
Direct the Executive Director of Legal Services to undertake a detailed review of the feasibility of enacting a city wide health protection bylaw to be funded from the Contingency Reserve fund and report back by Q2 of 2021.
My first reaction was – what is this all about? Don’t we have a Public Health Unit at the Region that focuses on public Health?
The motion wasn’t actually ready – Council took a few minutes break while the short paragraph was typed up and put up on the screen.
Kelven Galbraith, Chair of a Standing Committee waiting for the Mayor to complete the writing of a Staff Direction
Kelvin Galbraith who was chair of the meeting asked if there were any questions. Rory Nisan, who seems to be the person that automatically supports whatever the mayor puts forward said he was very interested to see where this could go.
Angelo Bentivegna was next with his standard “two quick questions” approach. He wanted to know more especially about the “detailed” part and just how much of the Contingency Reserve fund was going to be used. He asked “how far are we going to get into this” and added that at this point he could not support the Staff Direction.
Council had just come out of a two hour CLOSED session on the Meridian Aldershot Quarry and were scheduled to do a hard stop at noon – with that hour just minutes away.
They needed to take a lunch break after which City Manager Tim Commisso spoke saying he felt that Bentivegna deserved a more detailed answer to his concerns.
Commisso pointed out that the Legal Services budget was not public. He seemed to be aware of what it was the Mayor wanted to bring forward and pointed out that Council can do whatever it wants to do.
Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman said he had concerns over the scope of what was before Council. He wanted to know who will do the actual work and noted that there is a Public Health Unit at the Region adding that he was not clear on just what was being done.
Nancy Shea Nicol, Executive Director Legal Services
At that point the Executive Director of Legal Services spoke saying she could put together a Terms of Reference document.
Commisso then said that this was something that was dealt with in the CLOSED session. Which CLOSED session?
City Manager Tim Commisso
Commisso was referring to the CLOSED session that had taken place earlier in the day relating to the Meridian Aldershot Quarry where Air Quality issues were part of the discussion.
We were aware that the city had included outside legal counsel with a background in environmental matters.
Commisso said there would be a specific lead role and that “Nancy will provide executive guidance that would provide a “consolidated approach”.
A muddy picture was getting muddier.
Councillor Stolte then spoke saying she wanted more information. She would later vote to move the matter to Council later in the month at which time the City Solicitor would have more information for them.
Councillor Kearns wanted to see a more honed in approach to whatever it was the Mayor wanted done. Reference was made to where this fit into the V2F document (Vision to Focus) by Kearns but not before she could say that she thought the city was lucky to have Nancy Shea Nicol on Staff (she is the Executive Director of Legal Services) because she was “an amazing person.”
Kearns wanted to know if this was an internal look at public health; did it include audio, smells – adding that the wording was obtuse and needed fine tuning and could be the equivalent to opening a Pandora’s box.
She wanted the matter deferred to Council.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Meed Ward then spoke saying that “we are constrained” about what we can say and that the public will not know what we are talking about and what can be shared with the public.
Withholding information is the beginning of a slippery slope that leads to deliberately hiding information from the public.
What the Mayor did not share when she spoke was that previously the Executive Director of Legal Services had been asked to find lawyers with environmental experience.
Those lawyers are what we at the Gazette believe were speaking to Council in that CLOSED session.
In the fullness of time all the facts will come out. What we don’t want to hear is that the approach the Mayor has taken was what was best for the city.
Weeks before the 2018 election took place we said that of the three candidates running for the Office of Mayor Meed Ward was the only real choice.
And she is certainly in the process of making her mark on the city. She is also creating a profile of being bold and courageous and doing good things.
What is also being left is the view that she always knows best – this is not a view that is shared by most of her colleagues. The collaboration and a collective will of Council is not as evident as the Mayor would like it to be.
A Gazette reader recently made a comment that this Mayor wants everyone to know that She Is in Charge – democracies don’t work that way Your Worship.
What we will learn in the fullness of time is that Council will try and pass a city wide health protection bylaw that will relate to the quality of the air and what corporations will not be able to do when their product or the work they do releases pollutants into the environment.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
February 3rd, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there less traffic on the streets?
What has the traffic volume curve looked like ?
What do you make of that? Does the curve represent your traffic pattern?
Director of Transportation, Vito Tolone. told Council today that Traffic Volumes on Burlington Roadways during the lock downs has been volatile.
• Traffic sensors have been collecting volume data from various permanent count stations situated on arterial roadways across the City
• Volume data for Tuesday through Thursday is taken from each station as a “typical day”, totaled for each period (am, pm, 24hr) and averaged to get a “weekly average” for each period
Traffic is certainly lighter during the lock downs.
Highlights:
• March 2020 traffic volumes decreased significantly by 40-45 per cent
• June to December 2020 – traffic volumes steadily increased to reach almost 95 per cent of pre-COVID volumes
• Following Province wide shut down, 2021 volumes have again decreased by 35– 40 per cent.
Transit Volumes Update
• Ridership has been recovering since April 2020 as the economy re-opens from the 1st Provincial Lockdown
• A new schedule went into effect since late August 2020
– Enhanced midday service on New St, Plains Rd, Fairview St, and Industrial Area
– 15 minute or better service on New St, Plains Rd, and Fairview St (Route 1, 10)
• Dec 2020 ridership was 67.5% of pre-COVID levels (comparing to Dec 2019)
– GTHA average is 40% of pre-COVID levels
• Jan 2021, after the 2nd second Provincial Lockdown, ridership was ~44% of pre-COVID levels (as of Jan 24, 2021)
– Adult ridership down to 56% of pre-COVID levels
– Seniors, Students, and Children ridership down to less than 30% of pre-COVID levels
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