Halton has supported businesses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s more to do as we rebuild together. We know that many of you have adjusted services and adapted your business models due to the changing circumstances. As our local economy recovers, Halton Region and the Local Municipalities want to understand how we can best support you.
We have put together a short survey for local business owners and operators to complete by November 19, 2021.
All responses will be kept anonymous. This joint survey is being conducted by Halton Region Economic Development, in partnership with the Economic Development Divisions of the City of Burlington and the Towns of Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is going to show us the way to live a normal life.
They have pulled back the curtain and are delighted to safely welcome back their eager audiences, volunteers and artists to LIVE entertainment.
Sean Cullen – an “Evening of Sophisticated Silliness” that is not to be missed by anyone who wants a good laugh.
Returning to our Community Studio Theatre on Wednesday, November 17 for his first of three upcoming events, is BPAC friend and favourite Seán Cullen(The Ellen Show / Workin’ Moms / Last Comic Standing / Just For Laughs / The Debaters).
Having traveled the world for over three decades as a master of improvisation and an accomplished impressionist who delights in the absurd, THE SEÁN CULLEN COCKTAIL HOUR (& a half!) will be an “Evening of Sophisticated Silliness” that is not to be missed by anyone who wants a good laugh.
Liven up your spirits with a hilarious evening of comedy and music with the award-winning master of silliness alongside special guests: Allie Pearse (Letterkenny / JFL Standup & Pitch / ‘I Heart Jokes Award’ Winner for 2020 Breakout Comic), Chris Locke (Just For Laughs / Baroness Von Sketch / Mr. D / Canadian Comedy Award for 2014 Best Male Standup), Richard Crouse (host of Pop Life, In Short and Reel to Real / film critic for Bravo, CTV News and CP24) and musical guest Joan Smith (Serena Ryder / Little Foot Long Foot / Joan Smith & the Jane Does).
Next week, BPAC also presents two renowned showsthat celebrate a pair of the all-time greats, Frank Sinatra and Patsy Cline.
When you hear Leisa Way singing “I Fall to Pieces” your heart will swell – you are in for a really good time.
(Way-To-Go Productions) stars in the celebrated SWEET DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PATSY CLINE featuring The Wayward Wind Band for two evening and two matinee performances from Thursday, November 18 until Sunday, November 21.
Experience the fascinating story of the legendary country singer Patsy Cline’s life and the incredible music that she left behind including “I Fall To Pieces,” “She’s Got You,” “Walking After Midnight,” and her biggest hit, “Crazy.”
Backed by a superb four-piece band, Canadian stage star, Leisa Way, a powerhouse singer and entertainer herself, celebrates not only the music of this legendary singer, but tells stories about Patsy Cline’s life that have never been heard before. This concert has been playing to sold out crowds across North America and Europe.
After 50 years of live performances and recordings, Jimmy Stahl has taken his legendary big band project to another level. The Jimmy Stahl Big Band does Sinatra’s greatest hits like you’ve never heard them before, featuring the rising star and crooner Michael Vanhevel in this new tribute to Frank Sinatra and the American Songbook.
There will never be another “Old Blue Eyes” but Michael does come very close. Takes you back.
Jazz aficionados can also expect to be impressed by Grammy–winning charts, scorching horns and fresh interpretations of jazz, blues and swing music spanning multiple decades by the incredible 20 plus musicians on stage.
Experience the power and magic of a big band as The Jimmy Stahl Big Band performs SOUNDS OF SINATRA live on Saturday, November 20in BPAC’s Main Theatre with fresh arrangements of big brassy blues, swing and jazz standards.
Patrons who want to experience the energy of the live concert environment can purchase tickets through the BPAC Box Office, secure in the knowledge that the BPAC’s health and safety protocols are in place to keep performers and patrons safe. All patrons must show proof of COVID-19 double vaccination to be permitted entry into the facility and wear a mask. ALL-IN PRICING INCLUDES ALL TAXES AND FEES! Livestream ticket options are also available for most shows.
Tickets can be purchased online or by telephone: 905-681-6000 | www.burlingtonpac.ca
The Bateman High School looks like it is going to have a much different tenant make up in the near future.
Staff will be making a presentation to Council on Monday that has the Brock University Faculty of Education in the space as well as Tech Place and a branch of the Public Library.
A much different tenant mix will result if the plans under discussion actually work out.
The plans, which will get a fulsome discussion on Monday, include space the Board of Education will rent or retain and space for a community hub of some form.
The pool has always been city property.
The decision to close the school in 2017 was a blow to the community; the outcome has some pluses for a number of organizations.
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 14th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
This afternoon’s Infant Food Drive supporting Reach Out Center for Kids(ROCK) filled up a skid with donations at St. Matthews Anglican Church.
Throughout the pandemic St. Matthews Church has hosted a weekly drive-through drop-off food collection to fill the void of in-person fundraising events. Today’s collection supports the Infant Food Bank at ROCK’s Warwick/Surrey location part of their Our Community Cares(OOC) program. OOC helps adults and children within the community who are at risk.
OCC provides both structured and unstructured programs for children and youths to encourage learning, physical activity and fun. The goal is to provide opportunities for character building, social and life skill development and to provide recreational opportunities to improve overall quality of lives.
Included are Adult Education programs, Parent Talk, and Goodwill Employment Services. They also manage a Food Support Cupboard, Fresh Food Box, Clothing Room, Household Items, Infant Pantry, Computer Access, Lending Library, and accepts furniture items when needed.
From the right: Grace Ann from St. Matthews, Connie Price, Ashley Patterson, ROCK representative, Councillor Galbraith and an unidentified helper.
Connie Price of the Partnering Aldershot Food Collection Committee helped orchestrate today’s event which ran from 11 am to 3 pm. Price said she had noticed that people don’t necessarily think of infant food when donating to food banks so she wanted an event to fill those specific needs.
“We just have to let the community know what the needs are. What I’ve found is if you come to the community with a specific problem or a specific need, they’ll step up,” said Price.
Councillor Galbraith loading Huggies into a vehicle.
Ward 1 City and Regional Councillor – Kelvin Galbraith helped load up two vehicles on a bright windy afternoon. “It’s really great to get out and see people in person again and community events like this are very important.
They’ve been continuing through the pandemic but it’s great to see the people that are doing it and thank them because they’re volunteers in our community and they’re doing great,” said Gailbraith.
St. Matthews Church is currently collecting clothes for human trafficking survivors and is continuing their weekly drive-through food drives. At the height of the pandemic, they hosted two food drives each week; as restrictions have loosened were able to reduced it to one.
The weekly food drive supports Partnership West Food Bank and St. Matthews Outreach Chair, Grace Ann Wilbur, noted it will currently run until Christmas but the church is happy to continue with the event as long as the food bank needs them to.
St. Matthews Church uses social media and flyers to spread the word about events like today. Grace Ann Wilbur said Connie Price sends flyers to everyone she knows which is “half of Burlington.” Given the continued support of events at St. Matthews Church, it’s hard to say if she was joking about Price knowing half of Burlington or not.
Not a lot of room left over.
St. Matthews church is located in Aldershot, 126 Plains Rd. East. Their weekly food drives take place on Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm. The weekly food drives are not infant-specific, they accept all non-perishable food items.
ROCK accepts drop-off donations at their Warwick/Surrey location, located at 702 Surrey Ln. ROCK encourages those in need to contact them via phone or email, contact information is available on their website.
In the world of politics – getting the right people in the right room at the right time is an art.
Our Mayor may have missed some of those art classes.
Mayor Meed Ward invited all the members of the OBCM – Ontario Big City Mayors to hold their October 15th meeting in Burlington at the Pearle Hotel and Spa.
The Gazette didn’t have a lot of information on how that meeting was put together. Neither the Mayor or her staff talk to us. We’ve not been BFF for sometime. But that is another story that will unfold in the fullness of time.
All we knew was that there was a lot for the Mayor to brag about – the locale of the Pearle and its stunning grand stairway and the wide open space overlooking the lake and the Pier would be the envy of any Mayor.
Parts of the meeting were held via Zoom.
Mayor Meed Ward has needed a one-on-one conversation with Steve Clarke, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for some time. The OBCM event was a perfect opportunity.
The Minister is reported to have said publicly on June 15th of this year that he was on for having the Urban Growth Boundary moved from the location that was agreed upon by the 2014-2018 City Council to something further north and closer to the Burlington GO station.
Meed Ward argued strenuously during the 2018 election that the boundary should have been much closer to the Burlington GO Station to begin with.
Once she was elected as Mayor the first thing she did was fire the City Manager and then began the process of revising the city’s Official Plan that had the Urban Growth Centre moved north.
Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clarke: Mayor hasn’t been able to connect with the Minister – maybe the Minister doesn’t want to talk to her.
One of the problems was that there were a number of significant developments that were banking on being part of the UGC – should that be moved they would lose part of their development argument.
All that was needed to make the City and Regional decisions real was the signature from Minister Clarke.
But that signature wasn’t forth coming.
The press conference at which the Minister is reported to have said he was on side for moving the boundary was seriously questioned by a member of the Ontario Land Tribunal who would not accept it into evidence.
One would have thought that a political operative of Meed Ward’s stature would have found a way to set up a one-on-one with Minister Clarke. The OBCM event taking place in Burlington with the group meeting at the spanking new Pearle Hotel and Spa (it is understood that some of the Mayors taking part stayed over at the Hotel) was a perfect place for a conversation.
Having Minister Clarke taking part in the meetings was a natural thing for him to do. He is the Minister of Municipal Affairs and all the biggie municipal Mayors were either attending personally or taking part via Zoom.
But Minister Steve Clarke did not make it to the city on October 15th.
One has to wonder – why a connection wasn’t made. Is Burlington too small for the Minster to pay attention to or is the Mayor just too small a fish for the Minister to make time for?
Or did the Minister realize that there were serious problems with his Ministry and the City and it was better to step around that one. His political advisers would have advised him on that one.
The public is in the dark on just what is going to happen next. Other than blowing off some steam the Mayor didn’t really say all that much. “This is a devastating and shocking decision imposed on our community, which completely disregards the vision of residents, council and staff for this area.
She might have been a little contrite and admit that she really blew this one.
She did add that “Council will be examining all of our options for a review of this OLT decision.
Transparency was a big word when she was a candidate – it didn’t make it into her bag of tricks when she was elected Mayor. How come?
Mayor Meed Ward speaks frequently about her experience as a journalist. This would be a good time for her to make herself available to media and be both transparent and accountable and lay all the facts on the table.
Mayor Meed Ward gets in front of the Cogeco cameras as well as the CHCH cameras on a regular basis. They are seen by the Mayor as friendly folk – not the kind of people who ask her tough questions.
Ahmed Hussen, Federal Minister for Housing and Diversity was able to attend Ontario Big City Mayors event.
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.
Important construction work is happening this weekend (Nov. 12-14) on the Lakeshore West Line. The work means there will be no Lakeshore West train service for the majority of the weekend. Metrolinx News is giving GO customers a heads up about the temporary schedule changes and explaining why this work is needed.
Important construction work is happening this weekend that will significantly impact travel on the Lakeshore West GO Line.
Beginning in the late evening of Friday, Nov. 12, until the end of service on Sunday, Nov. 14, all Lakeshore West GO train service will be suspended so construction crews can safely work to replace older sections of track. These upgrades will improve train speeds, service life, and reliability.
By shutting down the corridor, construction crews can safely and efficiently get a lot of work done over the course of the weekend.
In particular, work continues on the Canpa switch plant, an important section of track and switches for GO trains on the Lakeshore West Line. The Canpa switch is particularly vital as it keeps GO trains running smoothly on the busiest line in the network. It also helps route trains into GO’s Willowbrook rail maintenance facility, the VIA maintenance facility, the Canpa spur, and more.
Additional track culvert replacements are also taking place near Oakville and Burlington GO. This work is vital to ensuring service reliability.
Recent construction work on the section of tracks between Long Branch and Mimico, known as the Canpa subdivision. (Metrolinx photo)
For customers going to the Leafs or Argos games on Friday night, GO has added an additional westbound trip making all stops to West Harbour GO that will depart Union Station at 10:30 p.m. and Exhibition GO at 10:37 p.m.
The last westbound train trip will depart Union Station at 10:40 p.m. and Exhibition GO at 10:52 p.m., making all stops to West Harbour GO.
The last two eastbound trips from Exhibition GO to Union Station will depart at 10:50 and 11:20 p.m., then will continue on the Lakeshore East Line, making all stops to Oshawa GO. Customers will also have the option to take westbound replacement buses from Union Station Bus Terminal, beginning at 9:34 p.m.
A heads up to Lakeshore West customers that use Long Branch, Mimico, or Exhibition GO Stations, there will be no GO service at these stations during this weekend’s service disruption. Customers looking to connect to Union Station can take the TTC (streetcar and buses). Use Triplinx to plan your route.
There will also be no Niagara train service during this time. Customers travelling between Niagara Falls and Burlington can connect with GO bus route 12 service. Customers who have purchased a WEGO ticket for this weekend can still board replacement buses with their ticket. If customers wish to be issued a refund, please contact GO Transit’s customer service team to assist.
Crews work on replacing large sections of track as part of major upgrade work on the Lakeshore West Line. (Metrolinx photo)
Crews work on replacing large sections of track as part of major upgrade work on the Lakeshore West Line. (Metrolinx photo)
Here are the details on everything GO customers need to know.
Friday, Nov. 12:
Eastbound to Union Station
The 8:58 p.m. West Harbour GO – 10:15 p.m. Union Station trip will be the last train to make all stops to Union Station
The 9:58 p.m. West Harbour GO – 11:15 p.m. Union Station trip will be cancelled
Bus replacements will start running at 9:10 p.m. from West Harbour GO:
West Harbour GO bus replacement departing at 9:10 p.m. will make all station stops to Port Credit GO and then run express to Union Station
Aldershot GO bus replacement departing at 10:00 p.m. will make all station stops to Oakville GO and then run express to Union Station
Clarkson GO bus replacement departing at 10:40 p.m., will stop at Port Credit GO and then run express to Union Station
Replacement buses will not service Long Branch GO, Mimico GO, or Exhibition GO
The Route 16 express service from Hamilton GO to Union Station Bus Terminal will run hourly
For customers attending the Toronto Argonauts game, trains will depart Exhibition GO at 10:05, 10:50 and 11:20 p.m.
Westbound to West Harbour
The last westbound train to West Harbour will depart from Union Station at 10:40 p.m. and from Exhibition GO at 10:52 p.m.
Customers travelling westbound will also have the option to take replacement buses from Union Station Bus Terminal, starting at 9:34 p.m.:
Buses will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal and terminate at Port Credit, Clarkson, Oakville, Bronte, Appleby, Burlington, Aldershot, or West Harbour GO throughout the evening
9:34/10:34/11:34 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Oakville GO and make all stops to Aldershot GO
9:44/10:50/11:44 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Port Credit GO and terminate at Clarkson GO
9:55/10:55/11:55 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Port Credit GO and make all stops to West Harbour GO
10:32/11:32 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Port Credit GO
10:37/11:37 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Clarkson GO
10:42/11:42 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Oakville GO
10:47/11:47 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Bronte GO
10:52/11:52 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Appleby GO
10:57/11:57 p.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Burlington GO
11:02/00:02 a.m. bus trips will run express from Union Station Bus Terminal to Aldershot GO
Please check schedules ahead of time in order to find the correct route for your destination
Replacement buses will not service Exhibition GO, Mimico GO, or Long Branch GO
Route 16 express service from Union Station Bus Terminal to Hamilton GO will run hourly
Lakeshore West GO train service will be replaced by buses starting late in the evening on Friday until the start of service on Monday. (Metrolinx photo)
Saturday, Nov. 13 – Sunday, Nov. 14:
There will be no Lakeshore West train service on Saturday or Sunday.
Eastbound to Union Station
Replacement bus service will run between West Harbour GO and Union Station Bus Terminal:
Buses will depart West Harbour GO every hour (leaving 5 minutes past the top of the hour), 8 minutes earlier than regular train schedule times
These bus replacements will run from West Harbour GO to Aldershot GO, Burlington GO, Oakville GO, Clarkson GO and then run express to Union Station Bus Terminal
Additional buses will depart Aldershot GO every half hour or more to Union Station Bus Terminal
These bus replacements will service Aldershot GO, Burlington GO, Oakville GO, Clarkson GO and then run express to Union Station Bus Terminal
For service from St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, customers can use Route 12 and connect with replacement buses at Burlington GO
Route 16 express service from Hamilton GO to Union Station Bus Terminal will run hourly
Westbound to Aldershot/West Harbour
Replacement bus service will run between Union Station Bus Terminal and West Harbour GO:
Buses will depart Union Station Bus Terminal for West Harbour GO every hour (at 47 minutes or 52 minutes past the hour), running 2-7 minutes later than regular train schedule time
These bus replacements will run from Union Station Bus Terminal to Clarkson GO, Oakville GO, Burlington GO, Aldershot GO, and West Harbour GO
Additional buses will depart Union Station Bus Terminal every half hour or more to Aldershot GO.
These bus replacements will service Clarkson GO, Oakville GO, Burlington GO, and Aldershot GO
For service to Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, customers can transfer at Burlington GO to Route 12
Route 16 express service from Union Station Bus Terminal to Hamilton GO will run hourly
Make sure to check the GO schedules before heading out this weekend. (Metrolinx photo)
Information for Long Branch, Mimico, and Exhibition GO customers
On November 12 to 14, there is no train or bus service at Exhibition, Mimico, and Long Branch GO stations during service disruptions. If you require service from these GO stations, you have the following options:
From Long Branch GO: Take TTC bus route 501 Queen streetcar to Osgoode Station and transfer to TTC Line 1 to Union Station. Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
From Mimico GO: Take TTC bus route 76 Royal York to Royal York Station and transfer to TTC Line 2 to St. George and TTC Line 1 to Union Station. Total time: 1 hour
From Exhibition GO: Take TTC bus route 509 streetcar to Union Station. Total time: 26 minutes
Information for Appleby, Bronte, and Port Credit GO customers
On November 13 and 14, there is no train or bus service at Appleby, Bronte and Port Credit GO stations during service disruptions. If you require service from these GO stations, you have the following options:
From Appleby GO: Take the Burlington Transit bus route 1 (Plains-Fairview) to Burlington GO. At Burlington GO take the replacement bus to Union Station. Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
From Bronte GO: Take Oakville Transit bus route 18 (Glen Abbey South) to Oakville GO. At Oakville GO take the replacement bus to Union Station. Total time: 57 minutes
From Port Credit GO: Take MiWay bus route 23 (Lakeshore) to Clarkson GO. At Clarkson GO take the replacement bus to Union Station. Total time: 46 minutes
Bus replacement details
To ensure GO bus drivers can be assigned to regularly scheduled GO bus trips, Metrolinx is working with Coach Canada to help get customers where they need to go.
Coach Canada and GO buses will be available at West Harbour, Aldershot, Burlington, Oakville, and Clarkson GO Station bus loops to get customers where they need to go on the Lakeshore West line.
GO staff will be on site to help guide customers and answer questions.
The Where’s My Bus service will not be available for replacement buses.
For customers not familiar with taking the GO bus, the bus terminal at Union Station is located at 81 Bay Street in Toronto at the north-east corner of Bay and Lake Shore Boulevard.
To access the terminal from outside – enter via the main entrance on Lake Shore Boulevard, just east of Bay Street or the entrance on the east side of Bay Street, across from Scotiabank Arena
If you’re coming from Union Station, you can take the indoor pedestrian bridge over Bay Street that connects to the bus terminal from Scotiabank Arena
Learn more about boarding at the new Union Station Bus Terminal
PRESTO machines will be available for you to use at West Harbour, Aldershot, Burlington, Oakville and Clarkson GO bus loops
Eastbound: Tap on the PRESTO device at you originating station and tap off on devices located in Union Station Bus Terminal
Westbound: Tap on the PRESTO device at Union Station Bus Terminal or your originating station and tap off on the station PRESTO machines at your destination
Customers with default trips on their PRESTO Card will need to override their default by pressing the “Override” button on the PRESTO device, then tap your card as you normally would
GO Transit officials recommend Lakeshore West customers plan ahead before leaving the house as trips could take longer than usual.
New public art has been installed on the Regal Road Bridge. The work was done by bau & ćos. You can learn more about them at their web site: www.bauandcos.com
City residents were invited to share their thoughts on three finalists chosen by an independent jury. Comments received on GetInvolvedBurlington.ca, along with the technical and detailed design proposals, informed the jury’s final selection.
The artwork has been installed and features 10 laser-cut steel panels along the concrete sidewall of the Regal Road bridge that crosses Tuck Creek between Oakwood Drive and Swinburne Road. The bridge was upgraded in 2019 as part of the City’s flood mitigation project.
Art depicting life in and around the Regal Road bridge across Tuck Creek
The artists explain what was behind their thinking and design work. “Through changing seasons and everyday activities, the bridge over the Tuck Creek is the background, yet gateway to the community.
Tuck Creek days after the 2014 flood.
“From the bridge, we watch trucks and cars quickly swerving onto Regal Road. Evidently, the QEW spews into Walkers Line and then trickles onto the bridge. Lateral to the driving, we watch guardians and toddlers strolling; students running home for lunch and dogs walking with their owners, while small urban animals scurry away ahead of them.
Since there are physical relations between the silhouettes and community, this is designed to be a fun, relatable and interactive piece for everyone.
Over the course of the pandemic, Art and Music have been an integral part of the lives of the people supported by the Community Living Program.
The “Forever Fly” project was created so that the people they support can express themselves through their artistic abilities, and add to the beauty of the garden area at Mainway.
Their goal is to surround the back yard with colourful butterflies, created by the people they support, to showcase their transformation over the last couple of years. It seems fitting, as the gardens continue to attract many butterflies through the “Garden Buds” Program.
Each individual and/or program were given butterflies to paint and then the butterflies are secured to the fence surrounding the gardens. People can paint one to honour someone they’ve lost, they love, to represent a cause they believe in…. anything that inspires them!
Hundreds of butterflies have been created over the last few months and the community is being asked to help them continue to CREATE opportunities to inspire the people they support to LEAD others and BELIEVE in themselves.
Help Community Living Burlington continue to create opportunities by sponsoring a Butterfly created by someone they support. An individual’s name or company name will be added to each butterfly and help make a lasting impact on the agency.
Each sponsored butterfly will help:
Continue our CLB News Team & CLB Cheer Team on a weekly basis
Build new & exciting Virtual Programming for all participants
Discover new opportunities in the community to engage our participants and increase social capital
Assist the people we support to develop new skills and certifications to become leaders in our community.
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 11th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
A naval officer said “you will never understand what your attendance means to us,” in the first of Burlington’s two Remembrance Day ceremonies this morning. That lack of understanding seems mutual, as so many in the audience will never understand the magnitude of the service and sacrifice of those honored today, try though we may.
The Colour Guard at Veteran Square
Old and young naval veterans gathered by the Naval Monument at Spencer Smith Park many wore flawless blue dress and white berets. Waves crashed and sprayed across the promenade. Planes soared through the grey morning sky where the faded white ghost of the sun began to reveal itself, the sun rose lazily while soldiers stood in uniform and at attention by the monument.
In the afternoon an Avro Lancaster, World War Two’s biggest British Bomber plane, part of Hamilton’s Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s collection, was set to fly over the region. A crowd gathered in long winter coats on a cold morning in remembrance.
The member of the Teen Tour Band may have been the age of the veteran when he went to war. Today he plays the pipes at the City Hall ceremony earlier today.
“It’s like an old summer day on the Atlantic,” said the naval officer. The audience laughed but it was another thing they couldn’t truly understand.
Wreaths were laid by the foot of the Naval Monument behind which stands a tablet bearing the names of the fallen. The monument is dedicated to the 2024 naval personnel and the 31 warships of the Royal Canadian Navy and the 1466 merchant seamen and 75 ships of the Canadian Merchant Marine who were lost during World War Two. The numbers are almost too big to comprehend, the names of the fallen too many to fathom as individuals, they become abstract.
Burlington MP Karina Gould taking a tot of rum to remember the war experiences of veterans at the Naval Monument on the Naval Promenade.
After the ceremony, the naval veterans gathered for a shot of rum, where they toasted absent friends. They were joined in their drink by a game Minister Karina Gould and Mayor Marianne Meed-Ward.
In the discussions that followed among the navy men some teased and joked with each other, others spoke more somberly. An elderly navy man talked about his family as a military family, his father buried alive in the trenches in northern France, some hundred years ago during the war. The naval veterans plotted to head off to the Halton Naval Veterans Association. Amongst each other they oozed a familial kind of familiarity, maybe it comes from the shared secret, that shared harrowing experience they lived the rest of us can’t understand.
The 11 am ceremony took place at the Cenotaph by City Hall, in the recently unveiled Veteran’s Square. The event was advertised as a virtual one but the city was unable to keep the people away as Brant Street was thronged by crowds listening quietly.
The drone of the bagpipes sounded and the colour guard marched in. The colour guard bore the flags, wore monochromatic blue plaid kilts and dark coats, some adorned with service medals. The sun shone brightly by the late morning and the bronze soldier at attention atop the monument cast a long shadow across Veteran’s Square.
The veteran who led the ceremony became another to try and bridge the gap of understanding. Breaking down the word “remember” into “re” and “member” and asking us to consider it serving to reintroduce the fallen into our membership. Maybe that makes it easier to remember the fallen as an individual, he spoke then of the popularity of wartime poems to the same end, to understanding.
And so he read:
The picture was taken in France by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward when she was representing Burlington at an event.
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
-John McCrae
The veteran leading the 11 am ceremonies came from a military family as well, his grandfather had to be sent home from World War One after lying about his age to join the military, he was 16. So few veterans remain from the World Wars to tell their stories.
Members of the Royal Canadian Navy standing before the Naval Memorial on the Waterfront
Many of us have relatives who served though it grows more distant generation by generation, fewer storytellers, faded memories, the sacrifices abstract and difficult to comprehend, the individuals become statistics or a name among many on a memorial tablet. And so we gather on November 11th, and in the moment of silence when everything else from our noisy lives full of self-importance and mixed up priorities shuts down, even for a moment, maybe we can get close to understanding.
Thank you to all veterans for your service and sacrifice.
Steven Page’s distinctive and powerful voice will reach out to the audience at the Performing arts Centre on Saturday the 13th.
Steven Page: among the most instantly recognizable voices in popular music.
That voice is among the most instantly recognizable in popular music. He is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with former bandmates, Barenaked Ladies, the award-winning band he co-founded.
As one of the principal songwriters and lead singer, Steven spent twenty years with the group, touring the world and selling millions of albums.
Steven’s fifth solo album, DISCIPLINE: HEAL THYSELF, PT. II, was released in 2018, followed by tours of the UK, Ireland and the U.S. with bandmates Craig Northey (Odds) and Kevin Fox. In 2019, Steven toured Canada from coast to coast starting in the east with a successful run alongside Symphony New Brunswick. The Discipline Tour concluded in autumn 2019, with an extensive tour of the U.S. Northwest, Southeast, Northeast and Texas. The Steven Page Trio – Live in Concert DVD was filmed during this tour and has been airing on American Public Television stations across the U.S.
Since becoming a solo artist, Page has carved out a diversified niche for himself that extends beyond recording and performing through an extensive array of projects in music, film, theatre and television. He has composed six Stratford Festival scores, has collaborated and toured North America with Toronto’s innovative Art of Time Ensemble and performs with his rock star pals as a member of the Trans-Canada Highwaymen.
Steven journeyed across Canada and the U.S. as host of TV’s The Illegal Eater, became a Chopped Canada Champion and appeared as a judge on Iron Chef Canada in their 2019/20 season.
Show Length: Approx. 90 min. Intermission. Ticket Prices: Regular: $69.50 (All-in) Member: $64.50 (All-in) Livestream: $15 (All-in, per household) Member Livestream: $10 (All-in, per household)
Ontario pandemic guidelines: all patrons must show proof of COVID-19 double vaccination to be permitted entry into the facility.
Later today Burlingtonians will watch a live streamed video of the Remembrance Day service and remember the fallen and those who served in the wars we have fought – all in the name of the democracy we cherish but don’t always observe or respect.
The bugles will sound out the Last Post. Reveille will be played and the troops march away. We leave the Cenotaph in a reflective mood.
In a play Trevor Copp wrote a number of years ago, there was a scene in which two soldiers were talking about the things they had done when they were in the trenches during WW1.
The experienced was horrific for both and horrific for the men who were there in 1917. There are very few of those WW1 veterans left – those that are salute at a Cenotaph on Remembrance Day. The lines on their faces and the look in their eyes tell much of the story.
The script drills down:
YOUNG HERMAN:
Then on to the next trench. The next. They kept us going for miles. It worked again and again. We were taking ground that had been held for months. Turning the tide for the whole region. No bullets; we just used the bayonets over and over. But sometimes they would stick in the ribs, then the man you’d just run through would wrap his arms around you. Hold you in, like he wanted to pray with you, you had to pry them off. It took too long. We were almost all the way through; but the light was breaking and we were getting too slow.
Then one of ours dropped his bayonet and picked up a shovel for digging trench. They were heavy and sharp. At the next trench he wheeled it back and cut one of them in half. One swing.
It looked quicker.
It didn’t stick. Everyone dropped the guns and took shovels.
I found a muddy one in the next field.
It looked quicker.
LEO:
I understand Herman.
YOUNG HERMAN:
We reached the last trench just at first light.
It was faster.
I used a shovel Leo.
God forgive me, I did it with a shovel.
War will become obsolete when it is socially unacceptable
Assuming the Standing Committee recommendation is approved and that City Council puts their stamp of approval on it – there will be a hybrid approach to attendance at council meetings.
While each member of Council can make their own decision there is said to be enough room for all seven members of Council to sit side by side separated by plexi-glass dividers.
The Clerk and the City Manager could also attend and there is provision for up to eight members of the public to attend.
Advisory meetings will continue to be virtual until there is a clear sense as to how much Delta version of the Covid19 virus increases the number of new infections.
Internal staff meetings will be dependent on the internal health and safety guidelines. Advisory committee meetings will be reviewed at a later date, and their meeting rules will build upon learnings gained from City Council and standing committee meetings and internal guidelines and policies.
The City Manager will be joined by some staff once the Council Chamber is opened up to public meetings.
If there are any changes made by Public Health Ontario, hybrid meetings will be adjusted accordingly to ensure participant safety, therefore the plan will be flexible and responsive. Modifications to the way meetings occur will be determined by the City Clerk and City Manager, in accordance with public health regulations, in consultation and with advice from the internal Health and Safety group through Human Resources.
Physical in-person participation of members of Council is optional. Staff are configuring the Council Chambers to be hybrid, to accommodate in-person and remote participation. Members of Council will have a choice as to whether to participate in person or remote (for each meeting). Work will be completed to ensure that all participants have an equitable and seamless meeting experience.
The assumption is that elements of hybrid meetings will continue after the pandemic.
Will days like this return?
There is no update on proxy voting provisions, or recommendations at this time. Staff will monitor other jurisdictions and keep Council apprised.
Last July Council passed the following staff direction, for a report back in September 2021 regarding in person hybrid Council meetings.
Direct the City Clerk to initiate the planning and implementation of a gradual transition of City Committee/Council meetings (as well as public access) to a hybrid model of Committee/Council that accommodates both in-person as well as continued virtual options and report back on a plan at the September CSSRA Committee meeting with a projected transition/implementation goal of Q4 2021.
As the pandemic progresses some of this information may become out of date and guidelines may be required to change. Staff will work with the necessary groups to periodically review and ensure the health and safety of those physically participating in Council Chambers meetings. Any changes will be effectively communicated to all participants.
From a public health perspective there is no guidance or regulation limiting the duration of an event or gathering. Exposures less than 15 minutes are considered low risk (in most cases), exposures over 15 minutes would need to consider other factors to determine risk. Mitigation may help reduce risk, such as masks, distance, ventilation, and plexiglass barriers.
The City of Burlington has a relatively small Council, with only seven members. A review of the Council table yields that there is enough room to distance participants around the Council table to allow for 10 participants. It is recommended that the 10 participants include, all members of Council, the Clerk, the City Manager, and members of senior staff speaking to reports. Total capacity in the chamber has increased to 20 persons, 10 around the Council desk, 8 in the gallery, and two AV Techs.
Public delegations will be permitted if the initial phases of the plan are successful, and this item will be fully discussed in a subsequent report in February 2022. For health and safety measures, members of the public will not be allowed within the dais, the metal partition within the Chambers.
Masks in the Council Chambers
Those who are intending to participate at an in-person hybrid meeting will be required to wear a mask when they are not speaking. Only one person will be permitted to take their mask off in the Chambers at a time. After a participant speaks and they have yielded the floor to the Chair, or to another speaker, then the mask must be put back on.
Council Chambers equipment will be wiped down by facilities staff (current practice). At present, small internal meetings are permitted, through the City of Burlington Safety Plan, however all participants must be adequately distanced and must remained masked at all times.
Cleaning will increase when members of the public are permitted into the Council Chambers. In addition, masking requirements may also change when members of the public are permitted. Currently the City of Burlington’s Mask By-law, 62-2020 as amended, indicates once a space is open to the public, masking requirements as per the By-law are in effect.
Setting up a hybrid approach still leaves that sticky question of: Do people taking part in a meeting at city have to be vaccinated. Apparently not.
Mandatory vaccination is only required to access certain listed spaces considered as high risk. In contrast, meeting and event spaces that are used for the purpose of delivering or supporting government services and court services are specifically excluded from the mandatory vaccination provision. Therefore, vaccination to enter City hall and more specifically the City Hall Council Chambers is not required provincially.
The City has an option of imposing stricter requirements for either City Hall or Council Chambers, such as mandatory vaccination, on the basis of public health considerations. However, the regulation is quite clear that delivering or supporting government services is excluded from the vaccination provision, and restrictions may invite future challenges, including potential Charter challenges.
Air Filtration and Fresh Air into the Building
During the pandemic, the City’s air handling unit filters have been upgraded to a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value of 13, MERV 13 as recommended by the City’s Health and Safety Team, in consultation with Facility Assets/Operations staff.
The air handler has also had an adjustment made to increase the fresh air intake and is equipped to monitor carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations; the unit will automatically increase fresh air further, when needed. The system will be monitored regularly to ensure adequate fresh air is brought into the building.
Proposed Timeline
The following timeline is built on a best-case scenario. The timeline is iterative and deliberate to allow for staff to review how meetings occur, learn from experience, and adjust. We are constantly learning about the virus and prevention, therefore practices or procedures may be amended throughout the timeline. Should there be a spike in cases or another lockdown the timeline may be paused or rolled back to the previous stage.
Full Slate of standing committee meetings (Not Audit), staff making presentations will be permitted as a pilot.
Council meetings are relatively short, on average about one hour. In contrast, the standing committee meetings have extended throughout the workday into the evening. Council was selected as the pilot as it is customarily the shortest in the meeting cycle. In January, the hybrid pilot may include the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee (EICS) which is customarily the shortest standing committee meeting at this time.
Each member of Council will be separated by a sheet of plexiglass and there will be additional cameras installed.
Should Council endorse the plan, staff will include in the December 6 report, how the technology will be mapped out, as to how the technology will affect the remote meeting mechanics and the guide. Further instruction will be provided in advance of the hybrid pilot, to all participants.
This picture was taken in March of 2019 – while many didn’t know it but we were headed into a pandemic – this group didn’t seem to know or care.
Procedural Changes
Currently, City of Burlington remote meetings operate in the authority of the Remote Meeting Guide, working in concert with the Procedure By-law. If Council chooses to pursue hybrid meetings, the Guide will be reviewed in terms of the new technology and hybrid processes that may be introduced. Staff will return to the December 6, 2021 CSSRA meeting with a path forward. It is anticipated that the Remote Meeting guide will be refreshed and formally adopted as a schedule to the Procedure By-law.
In order to conduct the December 14, 2021 Council meeting, a special Council meeting on December 6, 2021 will be required, to ratify any procedural changes before the hybrid meeting occurs.
Advisory Committees
At present, Room 247 in City Hall has been outfitted for in-person staff meetings. A potential venue for hybrid meetings, the room has the capability to incorporate use of a meeting room computer, and a mounted camera. If the strategy is approved, throughout Q1 2022 Office of the City Clerk staff will work with their respective committees to determine whether their committees wish to pursue a hybrid model.
A decision to pursue a hybrid model will require a majority vote of the committee. If they are to resume, only six members will be able to participate in person (with one Clerk to make seven total), and masks must be worn at all times when in the building and throughout their committee meetings.
Strategy/process
Committee must determine whether the risk of adding more participants to a meeting in the Council Chambers outweighs potential benefits. As the virus continues, with each infection, the chances of the virus mutating as it replicates increases.
Mutations may lead to dominant variants, which may be stronger than the previous. With the Delta variant in Ontario, cases are beginning to increase, and there may be a fourth wave of infection. This variant is strong and contagious. The Delta variant has changed the approach to gathering controls, which has challenged previous thinking on public health protection.
Options Considered
An alternate is to defer this report until the pandemic has subsided to allow for hybrid meetings to be piloted in safer conditions. This would allow for the hybrid pilot to take place without having to factor in as many public health restrictions. The elimination of in- person delegations, and by only having Council and staff who are subject to the Vaccination Policy in the Council Chambers may reduce some of the risk. This will also reduce reporting, and the background research required.
That line above about: The assumption is that elements of hybrid meetings will continue after the pandemic. Is there any need for that other than some members deciding they don’t want to leave the house and drive to city hall?
That normal we are all looking for may not be as close as we would like.
Council met today to review the masking by law – looks like the best we are going to get is sometime in June 2022.
Discussion was on By-law amendments to extend COVID By-laws into 2022. They started with a recommendation to extend the expiry date of the by-law to June 30, 2022
The wearing of masks is something the province put into place; the Regional government then put their by-law in place and Burlington followed the Region.
Mayor Meed Ward was not an advocate for the wearing of masks when it was becoming clear that the world was in a pandemic. To her credit she figured out that she was about to be on the wrong side of history and she began to wear a mask – she still does.
During debate Mayor Meed Ward said she could see the province making an announcement late on a Friday afternoon – “as they often do” she said – and the city would have to scramble to get onside with the province.
After close to an hour of discussion that focused on the messaging and the need to be consistent Council came up with a solution that will become official at the November 23rd Council meeting.
Couple of things that council didn’t seem to appreciate – first not that many people are following the mask rules – they apply to city locations so the city has to be onside.
However, the moment the Premier makes an announcement the news will zip around the province and the masks will come off in a flash.
If there is an announcement from the province it won’t come at the end of June – it will be made about a week before the provincial election on June 2nd of 2022.
Part of the reason for debating the bylaws today was that they are set to expire on December 31, 2021 and although statistics on vaccination rates and infections are improving, it is expected that Public Health recommendations regarding these measures will extend past December 31, 2021.
A date of June 30, 2022 has been chosen merely for administrative purposes to lessen the chance that another report is required to extend the by-laws – ultimately reducing the workload for staff.
While the Province has indicated that their mask mandate may be lifted as early as the end of March 2022, staff are not recommending this as an official expiry date as it would still cause administrative issues.
Removal of Community Centres from Physical Distancing By-law
The Physical Distancing By-law requires that a minimum distance of 2 metres be maintained between non-household members on any public property within the City of Burlington. The by-law includes our Community Centres and indoor fitness locations.
Community Centres and indoor fitness locations have also been specifically regulated in the Reopening Ontario Act (unlike other buildings such as City Hall). Until recently, provincial regulations and city by-laws have aligned.
Recent amendments to the Reopening Ontario Act, Ontario Regulation 727/21 have now eliminated the capacity limit for our indoor community/fitness centre locations as long as ‘proof of vaccine’ policies are applied.
We all got used to keeping our distance when meeting with people.
This means if Physical Distancing By-law 17-2020 is extended as recommended, staff will need to determine a capacity limit for these locations which will ensure users can still meet the 2 metre distance requirement. This may result in a capacity that is less than allowed under current provincial legislation which could affect programming.
Given Community Centres are specifically regulated in the Reopening Act Ontario, they are subject to ‘proof of vaccine’ policies and directives from both the Provincial and Halton Region Medical Officers of Health in relation to their operations (due to the sport operation), staff no longer feel it is necessary to also include them in Physical Distancing By-law 17-2020.
This does not mean that levels of protection will be reduced in these facilities or that physical distancing will not be maintained. Removing an additional regulation would make it easier for staff to program the facilities for the future and reduce the number of publications that need to be reviewed in tandem.
City Council is going to look into the idea of having year round patios directing the Director of Community Planning to report back in Q1 2022 with a report, including options and recommendations, outlining a plan and process for moving forward with a permanent city-wide outdoor patio program (post covid 19 recovery); and
Will this be the normal we are all looking for?
Direct the Director of Community Planning that the following areas and considerations be included:
Update and alignment of city patio related policies, zoning requirements and bylaws with current, pending or proposed Province of Ontario legislation/regulations inclusive of the Municipal Act;
Duration of the outdoor patio season(s);
Differentiation of patios on City-owned public lands and private property;
City patio fee options including potential waiver of patio and adjacent parking fees;
City departmental support to facilitate patio installation and safe operation of patios on City sidewalks, parking lots and/or road allowances;
Environmental scan of other GTHA municipalities related to the future of outdoor patios;
Access to potential funding and other small business support from federal or provincial governments;
Application of CaféTO best practices or similar patio program to the Burlington Downtown Business Areas; and
They will also debate directing the Chief Financial Officer to report on the future City operating and capital budget requirements to support the outdoor patio program in conjunction with the above report; and
Relaxing and enjoying much of what the city has to offer.
Direct the Director of Community Planning to complete a review of the City policy and bylaw changes (e.g. zoning) contributing to the effectiveness of the 2020 and 2021 outdoor patio program; and
Direct the Director of Planning and the Executive Director of Burlington Economic Development to undertake hospitality industry stakeholder engagement consultation, (including BDBA, Aldershot BIA & Burlington Restaurant Association) with the respect to the proposed plan for the City’s permanent outdoor patio program; and
Direct the Director of Community Planning to report on options for the standardization of patio materials for patios on municipal property.
The beleif is that expanding options for outdoor dining has the potential to improve vibrancy and community connections while accelerating recovery from COVID_19 impacts. Exciting changes were temporarily made to the way in which we utilize the public realm to expand hospitality space in Burlington. Best practice seeks to improve the look of the curb lane closure areas and increase options for café customization. Community vibrancy and municipal asset optimization can be enhanced by adding permissions for temporary platforms in curb lane café areas.
It is important to note the desire to create a unique café corridor in and around the downtown. As an area with unique conditions regarding encroachments on public lands that are not found elsewhere in the city, this includes the on-street parking assets – it is key to have clear program requirements to allow for certainty and investment in an expanded patio program.
Expanding support for hospitality businesses to provide safer spaces for liquor and food consumption will contribute to the economic recovery of a key employment sector within Burlington. A program that delivers standardized application and execution for the successful operation of expanded spaces will encourage further investment in our City by attracting patrons to additional local businesses and amenities. Allowing local businesses to establish temporary seasonal patios and seating areas utilizing on-street parking spaces within an articulated area or set of standards will result in improved longer-term uptake, improved financial planning for operators and an increased understanding of the program by other operators in proximity to outdoor patios.
Pot holes and waste removal – the bane of every council member.
They get the call. Some are better than others at responding.
When Marianne Meed Ward was first elected in 2010 she got a call Christmas Day about garbage bags rolling down a wind blown street.
What did she do? Hoped in her van and went out and picked it up.
Now she knows who to call.
It ain’t a pretty sight and it must smell.
The resident who dropped us a line on this situation said: “I just thought this might be something for you to follow up on. It’s a Reddit post about public trash cans on school property — or at least on the edge of it — that are overflowing with bagged dog feces.
People are saying this is a city-wide problem. Is this a sign that our public infrastructure and city services are not keeping up with the increased population?
The following comments followed her post on Reddit.
I feel like the cost of a second trash bin here would be less than the extra time it must take staff to dispose of this every week.
There is a second bin less than 100 feet away. I don’t get it.
I haven’t been out walking as much lately, but I feel like all summer there were overflowing trash cans everywhere we went.
Happens all the time at a couple bins in the orchard as well.
We keep adding people, so some areas are gonna need more services. I’d like to see more green spaces as well.
Which ward is that in? Chat with your councillor about it. Mine’s always been awesome at getting these kinds of things attended to (and actually fixed long term, not just cleaned up for one week).
Easing our way out of a pandemic has not been as simple as many had hoped.
We are now learning just how close to oblivion the world was in March when it was not at all certain the financial sector was going to be able to cope with the strain the pandemic had put on it.
That strain is now being felt at the local level.
Ceramic Chocolate Cake Cup by Barb Taylor from Earthworks Pottery. Earth Works Pottery produces functional ceramic pieces for the modern kitchen. Hand made in Burlington, Ontario, by Barb Taylor, the chocolate cake cup is a chocolate lovers quick fix. Mix ingredients listed directly in the cake cup – microwave for 3 minutes and enjoy!
Retailers are now telling us that they don’t expect to have many of the products they would like to have on their shelves during the Christmas Season.
Why? It all gets explained with the single word: logistics.
Many of the off shore companies are beginning to recover from the shutdowns and lockdowns they experienced.
There are problems all along the supply line which has resulted in decisions that will limit what can be manufactured and what can be shipped.
Shipping is proving to be a bottle neck. We understand that the ship that was wedged in the Suez canal and is now in Rotterdam has still not been unloaded. It is reported to have been carrying a lot of IKEA products.
Ships are anchored in harbours throughout North America waiting to unload. That has caused a shortage of the containers they carry.
The Port of Los Angeles has been put on 24/7 duty by the President of the United States.
Handmade glass ornaments by Nancy Legassicke of Fusion Art. Nancy is a self-taught fused glass artist who has been experimenting with melting glass for over 40 years.
The demand for trucks to move the containers from the loading docks to their destination has taken a hit as well.
Not enough trucks and a sudden shortage of drivers due to retirements and an unwillingness to work under Covid19 conditions.
What is all this leading to? Fewer products in retail outlets that may lead to some early binge shopping to ensure that people can buy the gifts they want.
For Burlingtonians – this isn’t the disaster it could be.
The Art Gallery has an Art Shoppe that has a very impressive product list and they aren’t going to run out of product.
Hand built porcelain ceramic platter by Jennifer Graham from Stratford Ontario. Jennifer’s ceramics are inspired by traditional textiles and by the possibilities of porcelain.
The AGB Art Shop supply chain is made up of artists across the country who have a lot of inventory they can ship quickly.
Set out are pictures and descriptions of just some of the items in the store and on sale today.
We will be telling you about more of the items in the Art Shop that is run on a day to day basis by Theo Roma, Manager of AGB Shop, Art Sales and Rentals.
Hours for the Art Shop are:
Tuesday to Friday: Noon to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Masks are required. While the Art Shop has quite a bit of room should there be too many people and social distancing is not possible, management will look for ways to schedule people.
Bad enough that the two witnesses from the city’s planning department were not on the same page; now we know that the city was fudging some of the material they were presenting and that they tried to argue that a media release, supposedly put out on June 15th amounted to policy.
Worse – the press release was really a transcript of what a planning staff member recalled understanding what the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is reported to have said.
We don’t make this stuff up – it comes out of the written decision released by the OLT Ontario Land Tribunal last week that gave Carriage Gate approval to build a 29 story tower. The decision, which appeared to have surprised Mayor Meed Ward when she said: This is a devastating and shocking decision imposed on our community, which completely disregards the vision of residents, council and staff for this area.
This decision completely dismisses the considerable feedback from residents in opposition to this file – and their valuable suggestions for what would be appropriate. This decision ignored over 100 people who took the time to attend a community meeting, delegate to council, and write pages of letters. There was no acknowledgement of our community’s voice in this decision.
The decision highlights the inappropriate application of Provincial Planning Policies to justify overdevelopment and underscores the importance of a speedy decision from the Minister to remove the Major Transit Station Area designation from downtown and adjust the boundaries of the Urban Growth Centre to the Burlington GO Station, where this scale of development should be. We will continue to work to defend our plan and put growth where it belongs.
Unless the city can pull a rabbit out of a hat – the building on the lefty is a done deal.
The City had argued that on June 15, 2021, the Minister announced that he was moving the location of the Burlington Urban Growth Centre from its existing location to the area surrounding the Burlington GO Station. As a result, the City maintains that the Development is no longer within a UGC area.
The City originally submitted that an adjournment “is required to allow the Parties to provide supplemental witness statements in order for the Tribunal to have the opinions of the expert witnesses on the effect of the subject lands no longer being within a UGC at the time of the Tribunal’s eventual decision in this matter. Without this, the city argued, the Tribunal will not have expert opinion evidence that reflects the policy regime that must be applied to consideration of the applications.
The OLT decision said: “The position taken by counsel for the City and for the Region therefore wholly depends on the contention that a new policy regime was ushered in solely by the Minister’s June 15th oral announcement. This alleged policy pronouncement is claimed to have been captured in an informal transcript filed with the Tribunal – prepared by an unidentified person – of the Minister’s remarks made at the June 15th press conference.
“It appears conceded by the City that the ‘unofficial’ informal transcript that is attached as an exhibit to the sworn Affidavit of the City’s planning witness Mr. Plas is not a complete record of the Minister’s comments made on that occasion. An adequate explanation for this was not offered to the Tribunal.
“Despite the unusual evidentiary basis described above, there seems to be no controversy between the Parties about the main gist of the Minister’s remarks made at this press conference. However, Lakeshore’s (This is the Carriage Gate corporate name for the proposed development on the NE corner of Lakeshore Road and Pearl) counsel adamantly maintains that those verbal comments by the Minister did not and could not constitute the formal lawful introduction of new provincial planning policy.
For marketing purposes it will be known as Beausoleil
During the time period leading up to the hearings, the Region of Halton adopted ROPA 48 (Regional Official Plan Amendment) on July 7, 2021, which, among other things, reflects the noted change in location of Burlington UGC that was apparently mentioned orally by the Minister on June 15th (although Ms. Yerxa for the Region points out that the prior process leading up to ROPA 48 was of considerable duration and reflected much work and consultation along the way, much of which is contained in the supporting Affidavit of Ms. Poad). ROPA 48 is apparently now before the Ministry for approval.
“However, beyond the remarks of counsel for the City and the Region, there was no evidence to demonstrate that the Ministry will approve it beyond a statement to that effect from Mr. Plas in his Affidavit tendered before the Tribunal. In the Tribunal’s view, this is not proper subject of opinion evidence – it is merely argument, which was repeated in more detail by counsel for the City and the Region at the Motion hearing.”
“In response, the Appellant filed an Affidavit from Mr. Smith, an experienced Planner who challenges the conclusions expressed by Mr. Plas about the effect of the press conference announcement from the Minister and also the allegation that the Minister’s oral announcement was “supportive of ROPA 48”. Again, in the Tribunal’s view, Mr. Smith’s statements are also not proper opinion evidence determinative of this particular issue.
“The Tribunal is unable to accept the contention that the oral remarks made by the Minister at the June 15th press conference, taken alone, constitute the promulgation of new Ontario planning policy by way of an ‘update’ or other ‘revision’ of the Growth Plan in terms of the location of the Burlington It is to be noted that the Minister’s remarks do not specify the precise boundary of this apparent location change, nor do they indicate the effective date of the change. In any event, the Tribunal was not convinced by the City counsel’s submission that no written statement or enactment of the change in the Burlington UGC location is required by law.
Did the City of Burlington get screwed over by the Minister of Municipal Affairs or did he just plain forget what he said he would do?
“Neither Counsel for the City or the Region could cite any jurisprudence specifically on this point to support this unique argument. Moreover, in the Tribunal’s view this notion seems counter-intuitive in light of the very detailed provincial planning regime currently in force. The Tribunal specifically disagrees that the Minister’s remarks described above can be treated as a lawful, formal issuance of Provincial policy within the meaning of s. 1, 2 and 3 of the Planning Act.
“The Tribunal also agrees with Lakeshore’s counsel that for the purposes of this appeal the relevant provincial policy provisions include those set out in the current Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and the current GP. The Tribunal thus rejects the contention that the current GP has somehow been changed or ‘updated’ in relation to the location of the Downtown Burlington UGC by reason either of the June 15, 2021 oral comments of the Minister or the content of the draft ROPA 48 which has not been approved by the Province.
“The Tribunal is of the opinion that the City’s proposition that a hearing should be adjourned to deal with anticipated possible future changes in provincial policy is:
(a) without foundation and without case law authority;
(b) amounts to a repudiation of long-established jurisprudence since it requires the evaluation of planning applications on the basis of alleged “emerging” policy intended to signal a new evolution of priorities for intensification in the City; and
(c) is highly unusual given that the very notion of modifying the UGC boundary in the City was not introduced until nearly 2 years after the Appellant’s applications were deemed complete by the City.
This is the Urban Growth Boundary that Mayor Meed Ward fought hard to have changed. She thought she had – the Minister of Municipal Affairs said he would approve but had not yet signed the decision. So, legally it has not been changed and the Beausoleil development get the go ahead from the Ontario Land Tribunal
Nick Carnecelli had a stronger case and lawyers who knew what was acceptable in terms of evidence – something the city didn’t have .
The Tribunal also agrees with the submission of counsel for the Appellant that:
“the press conference statement itself goes no further than suggesting the Minister “will be moving” the UGC, not that it already has been moved. This is a statement of possible future intention and nothing more. It provides no indication of how or when. It does not discuss implementation at all. There is no reference to ROPA 48 despite the statement of Mr. Plas. It refers to “long-term planning” as opposed to immediate effect”.
As a final matter, the Tribunal further disagrees with the argument of the City’s counsel that the purposes and policies underlying the Tribunal’s Rules of Practice and Procedure in any way require the granting of the City’s adjournment motion in the unique circumstances of this case, and the Tribunal declines to exercise its discretion to do so.
What does all this mean? First that the city is made to look like a couple of high school students screwing things up.
Secondly, it leaves the Mayor with a problem with the OLT decision, which, try as she might, is likely to hold.
This piece of land and the site of the Waterfront Hotel will be the next battle ground. Then there is the north side of Lakeshore Road from Brant to Martha that will get the developer treatment.
What impact is the decision going to have on the several development across the street in a piece of land known as the football where there are two developments working their way through the application process and at least two properties within the football that do not have any development activity ongoing.
Mayor Meed Ward had put everything on getting the Urban Growth Centre Boundary moved and she thought she had it done.
Both Planning and Legal are responsible for this one.
Canada’s expanse of natural beauty, with mountains and glaciers, secluded lakes and forests, is almost unmatched around the world. But the charm of this country is not just the outdoors. The country has cosmopolitan cities, with a wealth of entertainment, such as online casino Canada and others, but at the same time, despite their global nature, they remain clean, safe, friendly, and multicultural. In fact, Canada has repeatedly been rated as one of the most livable countries in the world. Regardless of your preferences and interests, go to Canada and it will not disappoint you. That is why today we will tell you about one interesting place.
On the western shore of Lake Ontario, in the province of the same name in Canada, is the city of Burlington. Hamilton is not far from it, and the distance to the Canadian capital is 50 km. The city is part of Canada’s Golden Horseshoe industrial agglomeration. About 180,000 people live here.
Burlington History
Back in 1798, Loyalist Joseph Brant was granted a 1,400-hectare tract of land on the Burlington Bay shore. It was the first and one of the most famous residents of the future city. In 1873 the village of Burlington was formed by the merger of the two settlements of Wellington-Square and Port Nelson, and it received city status in 1914.
It was used to handle cargoes such as timber and wheat that came to Port Nelson. In 1854, after the railroad was built, trade began to grow strongly. When the timber supplies ran out and ships began to dock at the big Toronto and Hamilton wharves, agriculture began to develop in Burlington. Gradually an ordinary once-populated town was transformed into a beautiful garden city.
Top 10 Sights to See in the City
Burlington is called the garden city for good reason. There are plenty of sights and beautiful parks to see and do:
The Royal Botanical Gardens
Considered one of the largest in all of Canada, it is part of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve. Founded in 1930, during the Great Depression, the botanical garden gradually grew and was inhabited by populations of various animals. Unique rock garden and rose garden, arboretum, and lilac park were created here.
Spencer Smith Park
Located in the center of town, it is a great place to relax. You can stroll along the paths along the waterfront and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake, and many people picnic on the green lawns.
The Art Gallery of Burlington
It is located in the heart of the city and was opened in 1978. The gallery has a unique collection of ceramics and the work of ancient artisans.
Joseph Brant Museum
In this historic building, you can explore the heritage of the city. The museum has both permanent and traveling exhibitions.
Skyway Bridge
It consists of two parts, one built-in in 1958 and the smaller one in 1985. Its steel suspension structure connects the cities of Hamilton and Burlington, located on the banks of the canal. Burlington Bay. The bridge is 2,560 m long and the main span spans 151 m.
Brant Street Pier
It is S-shaped and stretches 137 meters over Lake Ontario. It offers a great view of the city and the lake’s surface.
The Navy Seamen’s Memorial in Spencer-Smith Park
Its creator is the famous sculptor Andre Gauthier. A cast bronze sculpture of a Canadian World War II sailor is set on the shore of Lake Ontario.
Discovery Landing
This 4,328-square-meter building faces the lake. You can watch the weather from here. There is an observatory with an excellent panoramic view. Nearby is a century-old pond, which in winter turns into an ice rink.
Some of the best berry picking in the province.
Stonehaven Farm
Established back in 1904, today it is a large complex that includes, along with the agribusiness, a store selling homegrown fruits and vegetables, as well as a corn maze and amusement rides.
Indian Wells Golf Club
This 18-hole course is located at the foot of Mount Nemo. Lovers of the game have a great time here.
Budget building is an art and a dance that involves Staff and the members of Council.
Staff understand how municipalities work. They don’t have a bottom line that they have to meet – they do strive to provide great service – but they need funds to do that – and they aren’t shy about asking.
Set out below are the services the city performs.
How much of your tax dollars go to each of the services. That data is also available. Do you feel you are getting value for the tax dollars spent delivering that service to you?
Notice that they talk in terms of millions of dollars
The park currently known as Ryerson Park at 565 Woodview Rd. will be renamed to reflect the City’s current naming policies for City assets.
The park is tucked in behind the school.
Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 11, residents were invited to suggest a new name consistent with today’s standards. The name submission portion of this project is now closed and a small working group of City staff, Indigenous Leaders and community stakeholders have created a short-list of names that residents can now vote on.
Staff will take the voting results and report back to Burlington City Council with a recommendation for a new name early in the new year.
Voting is open nowatand will be open until Nov. 19, 2021.
Shortlist of Names
More than 500 names were submitted in phase 1.
The Shortlist Committee has considered all the names and chosen three names.
A fourth naming option has been added from Indigenous Elder Stephen Paquette after consulting an Indigenous linguist: Sweetgrass Park.
Sweetgrass is one of the sacred medicines to many First Nations. It is used as a purification medicine in ceremony to purify ourselves and to heal.
For years the contribution Edgerton Ryerson made to the creation of the public educational system we have today was held in great esteem. Public sentiment changed when hundreds of graves were discovered at residential school sites, which were built long after Ryerson had passed on. His statue was defaced and then toppled.
The proposed park names and rationale:
• Head of the Lake Park: This name was chosen to reflect the name of the current land agreement in place that allows settler communities to occupy the location of the park in question, as per the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
• Unity Park: When forms of hatred and attempts to divide people are on the rise we need to find ways of expressing what we think is important. Unity means that we embrace our differences, that we value other people’s experience and beliefs
• Truth and Reconciliation Park: To heal as a nation we need to speak the truth and reconcile our relationship with the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
• Sweetgrass Park: Sweetgrass is used as a purification medicine in ceremony to purify ourselves and to heal.
Why are we renaming Ryerson Park?
At the June 16, 2021 meeting of the Halton District School Board (HDSB), trustees unanimously approved a motion to rename Ryerson Public School on Woodview Road in Burlington, in accordance with the Board’s Naming and Renaming Schools Policy and Governance Procedure.
Mayor Meed Ward meets with Andrea Grebenc, Chair of the Halton District School Board
As part of the Board motion, the Chair of the Board sent a letter to inform the City of this decision. Burlington City Council then unanimously voted to rename Ryerson Park. This was done out of respect for Indigenous residents in our community, particularly following the recent discovery of mass graves at former residential schools.
Burlington’s Ryerson Public School, and adjacent Ryerson Park, are named after Egerton Ryerson for his contributions to the Ontario education system, however, Ryerson was also instrumental in the design of Canada’s residential school system. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded this assimilation amounted to the genocide of Indigenous people.
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward explains: “Earlier this year, Burlington City Council unanimously voted to rename Ryerson Park, in line with the recent HDSB decision to rename the adjacent school. This was done out of respect for Indigenous residents in our community and visitors to our city — particularly following the recent discovery of mass graves at former residential schools.
By Staff
By Staff
The decision to close the school in 2017 was a blow to the community; the outcome has some pluses for a number of organizations.
By Ryan O’Dowd: Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
By Pepper Parr
Mayor Meed Ward invited all the members of the OBCM – Ontario Big City Mayors to hold their October 15th meeting in Burlington at the Pearle Hotel and Spa.
By Staff
By Staff
Each sponsored butterfly will help:
By Pepper Parr
Later today Burlingtonians will watch a live streamed video of the Remembrance Day service and remember the fallen and those who served in the wars we have fought – all in the name of the democracy we cherish but don’t always observe or respect.
By Pepper Parr
For marketing purposes it will be known as Beausoleil
By Staff
Back in 1798, Loyalist Joseph Brant was granted a 1,400-hectare tract of land on the Burlington Bay shore. It was the first and one of the most famous residents of the future city. In 1873 the village of Burlington was formed by the merger of the two settlements of Wellington-Square and Port Nelson, and it received city status in 1914.
Located in the center of town, it is a great place to relax. You can stroll along the paths along the waterfront and enjoy the beautiful views of the lake, and many people picnic on the green lawns.
Brant Street Pier
