 By Pepper Parr
October 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The increase in COVID infections in the community has led the Old Timers Hockey Club to suspend games until further notice.
In a statement released early this morning the Club said: “ there has been an increase in coronavirus cases in our community. As a result of this, we too have experienced a number of positive tests over the last couple of days with some of our members. These positive tests have affected other members and has the potential of continuing to spread.
 “With this in mind, we discussed this issue, its impact on our members, the community and the Club and went through a variety of options of what we should do. Out of an abundance of caution, we have therefore decided to suspend the season at this time.
“We did not make this decision lightly and did so with the interest of all of our members’ health and safety in mind. The board of directors will be meeting to discuss this decision further and provide you with details regarding refunds; we ask for your patience in the meantime.
If you are concerned in any way about your personal health, please contact your health practitioner. To access Halton Regional Health advice click here
We will continue to monitor the current situation, learn from this experience and consider the club’s further options.
As of immediately however,
• ALL games have been cancelled.
• As mentioned, we will address refund details at a later date.
• Hectors is closed until further notice.
• The ice that we had contracts for is NOT available to players to use tonight and will not be ours going forward.
 By Michele Bogle
October 5, 2020
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO
The Taste of Burlington 2020 launches today with 35 of your favourite participating restaurants offering their best under circumstances that are far from normal.
An event that started in 2008 with just 12 restaurants taking part has steadily grown.
The event starts Monday October 5th and runs through to the 25th.
This fall, each participating restaurant is again offering mouth-watering pre-fixe menus with appeal for anyone’s palate.
Taste of Burlington has made ordering easier, with extra perks.
Sign up for the ‘free’ Taste of Burlington Passport to view menus on-line. The more times you dine out, using the app, the more chance you have of winning the weekly gift card give-away, or the grand prize of $500 to a restaurant of choice.
Some participating restaurants have special offers for returning. Tallying of the contest used to be by ballot-box, but can now be done digitally.
Kelly Harris, Marketing Specialist with Tourism Burlington and Co-ordinator of Taste of Burlington writes, “Quite excited about this as especially with the pandemic, the ballots don’t have to touch so many hands.”
But wait!, there’s more. If you choose to dine in at any of the participating restaurants, the app allows you to order from the pre-fixe menu without touching anything but your own device.
Dining out at a new or favourite restaurant, has been made easier, safer and more economical with the Taste of Burlington Passport App.
As a cost-saving measure to the restaurateurs, if dining out, there is only pickup available. No delivery. The app also allows you to choose the patio, takeout, or dine in. As well it can be used to make reservations, required for this dining event.
Within this link to the list of participating restaurants, you’ll find the quick and easy application for the passport, if you don’t already have it.
Check each restaurant’s website for dates and times available. Not all locations have their own parking, so leave enough time to find city parking, if dining in.
When dining in, as a patron you can expect the Public Health Guidelines as set out by Halton Region to be rigorously observed.
As an on-going series, I’ll be reviewing some of the participating restaurants to assess, not only the value and quality of the pre-fixe menus offered, but of the safety measures exercised by those restaurateurs.
 Michele Bogle is a Burlington resident who writes for the Gazette on community issues. Ms Bogle has taken part in the Food Network for the second year in a row to audition for the ‘Great Chocolate Showdown’ 2020 and 2021. She made it to the second stage of auditions for ‘Wall of Chefs’ 2019 and finished top 1% of auditions last year for ‘The Great Canadian Baking Show’.
 By Ray Rivers
October 3rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Haven’t we seen this movie before? The eagerness to open up the economy before the virus was properly contained has returned us to where we were back half a year ago. In fact worse. We have already exceeded the record of infections we saw last spring. Does that mean the long months of lock down were all in vain?
Who is running this ship anyway ? Dare I say… this was, of course, entirely predictable. And now we’re expected to top 1000 cases in a of couple weeks. But we really have no idea, since the virus is exponential and there are lags between exposure and symptoms… and well… who knows?
 Infections have reached 1000 a day in Quebec. Deaths have also increased. Quebec has already beat us to the 1000 cases a day, by the way. Yet it was barely three months ago that Premier Legault was so convinced he’d beat the virus to the ground that he opened up provincial restaurants and bars and invited customers in – Bon Appétit. And now he has had to shut them all down.
Earlier this week on the very day that Ontario hit its highest level of infections ever, 700 cases, casinos in the province were allowed to reopen. And still the Premier thinks he is smarter than the virus – that he can outmaneuver it, surgically control it, micro-mange and fine tune how we live our lives to constrain it – rather than doing what his neighbouring province has had to do.
We are all waiting for a vaccine to save us – something we expect to have by early next year. So one has to ask – why not sit tight and wait? Oh sure we need money to live by – but the feds have the printing presses primed – and most of us are doing better than ever if we consider the amazing growth we’ve seen in personal savings.
COVID is the viral disease making all this fuss, but this is also an economic and social crisis of historical importance.
Provincial gross domestic product (GDP) suffered its greatest loss ever. This is entirely attributable to measures we’ve taken to flatten the curve (of infections). And were it not for the federal government doling out cash we’d be in big trouble. Ontario lost over a million jobs during the June to August period.
 Restaurants are taking the biggest hit – and there doesn’t appear to b a solution for them in the near term. While just about every sector had been affected by the epidemic, entertainment, travel and hospitality were the hardest hit. These are the business activities where viral spread is hardest to control. Hospitality and tourism make up about 4% of provincial GDP generating over $22 billion in sales in a normal year. Together with restaurants there are over 11,000 establishments across the province.
 If the virus gets even worse, the Premier knows he’ll have no choice but to lock them down again. And that is the dilemma facing the Premier. If the virus gets even worse, he knows he’ll have no choice but to lock them down again – when hospitals get overloaded and more seniors start dying he won’t be able to pretend that his surgical blade can do the impossible. He’s already getting flack from health experts demanding more lockdown and that he fire his chief medical officer.
It’s not easy being a man without a plan. And it’s clear the Premier is making it up as he goes along. Every new daily briefing brings some new direction, which may conflict with the one from the previous day. And while he can predict we’ll have a thousand new cases a day by mid-October, he can’t tell you what we’ll be doing about it.
And the mixed messaging is not only causing confusion but also social unrest. There have already been some protests over masking. And we see normal law abiding folks, who mostly observed the earlier restrictions on public and private gatherings choosing to ignore them now. Indeed when Ford himself ignores his own rules as he has done on occasion – why not? He is supposed to set an example, after all.
 The public reaches a point where they don’t want to co-operate. Civil rights organizations have also taken up the question of the constitutionality of lockdowns, restrictions and bubbles – though the courts so far have weighed on the side of public interest over individual rights. But if protesters can demonstrate that government is not doing a good job at protecting them anyway – that may all change.
And there is a lot of evidence. Accountability for failure to protect the lives of long term care residents, by actions before and after the lockdowns is still on the back burner. Failure to prepare for the safe re-opening of schools. The inconsistency of restrictions. Inability to successfully execute a test and trace program. And of course the decision to re-open the economy when the Premier anticipated increased case loads as a result.
But the premier has to weigh the economic benefits of allowing these sectors to remain open against the potential economic consequences of another major lock down. He has to worry about employment and GDP and the provincial budget deficit which is forecast to hit some $40 billion, but likely will be much higher.
And of course there is scheduled to be a provincial election at the beginning of June 2022. After all, for a man claiming to be a deficit killer and opposed to tax increases and raising more debt, he is faced with tumbling provincial revenues and hugely increased provincial expenditures. And then there is the matter of the health of the all the people.
 The vaccine may not turn out to be the solution – despite the amount being spent. As we wait for a solution to the epidemic, either a viable vaccine or for the virus to miraculously die off on its own, as SARS did, the Premier has to balance the health and lives of Ontario folks against the economic costs of coping with the economic fallout from the virus.
So the question is whether his surgical talents will successfully constrain the contagion – or whether we are headed for a deja vu.
 Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial matters as well as environmental issues. He has degrees in economics and was the founder of the Sustainability Advisory Committee in Burlington. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson in 1995, the year Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution swept the province.
Background links:
Mixed Messages – Ontario Peaks – Testing –
Australia vs Sweden – Long Term Care –
More Long Term Care – Savings Rate – Ontario Job Loss –
Confusion – Ontario Deficit –
 By Pepper Parr
October 2nd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
A classroom has been closed at a Burlington elementary school.
 A restaurant has chosen to close because a staff member tested positive.
This is the norm for at least the next six months and perhaps longer.
The virus is out there and we are letting it transmit from person to person.
The Board of Education did the right thing and the restaurant did the right thing.
It is when organizations and the hospitality sector do the right thing that we know the needed precautions are being taken.
Tough on everyone but it can be managed.
Joe Dogs was more responsible and transparent than the Halton District School Board.
The restaurant went public quickly; the people on the administrative side of the Board seem to have lost their tongues.
By Pepper Parr
October 1st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
When we read about infection reports that are above 500 across the province and read about the severe restrictions being imposed in Quebec – it is reasonable to ask – What do I have to do to be safe?
We were invited out for Thanksgiving and wrote our friends asking if we could at least think about re-scheduling.
We have our own bubble that we are careful to maintain.
It’s just the two of us and a couple of dogs.
The vet was over yesterday – I was surprised about how casual he was – no mask either.
With people returning to their offices and rising up an elevator with five or six people that they don’t know – not something I want to have to do.
 M M Robinson High School has not reported any infections. We are getting reports from schools – there are infections. Nothing serious – not glaring hot spots – yet. Is this because we are all very careful or just lucky?
Ten schools have reported infections, all are secondary schools. None of the schools have been closed and the number reported that could be infected is at the 1 and 2 level.
 Students milling around outside the high school between classes keep a safe distance without supervision. The province has released a revised approach to screening students before they head for school every day.
Like most government documents it is too long. The list of things to watch for is good and is set out below.
Claire Proteau has a very open respectful relationship with her students. She reports that about 20% of her school population opted for virtual classes.
One of the biggest issues for Proteau is the level of education her staff is able to deliver with all the COVID precautions in place.
She works closely with the department heads and ensures that they are in very close touch with the classroom teachers.
“But it isn’t the same” she said. “It is very hard to deliver a quality education under these circumstances.” Proteau isn’t complaining, she just does her best to ensure that her students are getting the help they need to cope with what everyone has to deal with and at the same time strive to give them the education they deserve.
“I have a great bunch of students, they are a delight to work with and my teachers are giving it everything they have. If there are problems we will deal with them.”
If we exercise that abundance of caution we will get through this. When we learn of the hundreds that are found to be infected each day we know that some people don’t take the precautions. They are usually the ones that move their lips when they read.
 By Denis Gibbons
October 2nd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The gorgeous waterfront setting of Burloak Park now is the home of Burlington’s first Seniors’ Exercise & Social Space.
 A band was on hand to celebrate the opening of the Seniors Exercise space in Burloak Park. The band is reported to have been paid for by the ward Councillor – Paul Sharman. Photos by DENIS GIBBONS Equipped with several work stations compatible with safe workouts for seniors, the space was donated to the City by Burlington Seniors Centre Inc., a non-profit group.
 Mayor Meed Ward does the unveiling of the plaque that explains why this equipment was put in the Burloak par. Tucked behind the sign is Connie Price, the woman who would not give until the city came up with space for the equipment to be placed. Fred Hendriks, president of Burlington Seniors Centre Inc. stands watching Connie Price, treasurer and seniors equipment chair, was the sparkplug behind raising $50,000 for the new park.
“I am so concerned that after COVID we are going to have a community of seniors who are more frail,” Price said at Thursday’s official opening. “Now they can get out and use this, even just to socialize which is so important to them.”
Fred Hendriks, president of Burlington Seniors’ Centre Inc., said the project took three-and-a-half years to complete. He said the committee looked all over Burlington for a location.
“We finally found this gem right here,” he said. “And we did it in the colors of the BSCI (blue and green).”
Halton Region Chair Gary Carr said the Halton Board of Health has made an effort to get people of all ages to be active and stay healthy.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said the park is a good example of what happens when people are persistent with their dreams and don’t give up.
“When we do right by our seniors, we benefit our whole community,” the mayor said.
Related article:
The story behind the gift of exercise equipment to the city.
 By Pepper Parr
September 29th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Several months ago the Gazette published a piece on a program called the “Post Promise”, which is a self-declaration that a business is working to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 Once completed, a business is provided with the necessary communication and implementation tools to educate employees on the five key steps to workplace safety, which were created to be consistent with what has been recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Make the promise today: Click HERE.
Businesses who make the promise will be able to use and prominently display the POST Promise logo which is a nationally recognized symbol of a business’ commitment to doing their part to protect their customers’ and employees’ health and safety as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Participating business can also purchase a kit which will include additional communication tools like window decals, posters and tent cards which can be used to further build awareness of their commitment within their place of business.
Businesses that want to apply for some of the grant money that is being made available ($2500 per grant) will not be eligible unless that have made the POST promise.
I have yet to see one of these decals on the window or door of any restaurant or commercial establishment.
The program is free – and for me and the circle I travel knowing that a location is safe and is prepared to go that extra distance to ensure that I am kept safe while I am in their establishment is something I look for.
 The weather has been great – the traffic on the patios has been good. What happens when the weather chills on us? The hospitality sector is looking for all the help they can get including financial support from the city and the Region. The want help from the federal government as well.
They are in a very tough sector. When the restaurant business is good it can be great – but it can also be a grind. You take all the problems home with you.
I don’t understand why these decals aren’t on every front door and every print piece a restaurant has. Put it on the menu – tell me that I am going to be taken care of.
The hospitality sector is, unfortunately, close ground zero for the huge spike in infections.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said in a prepared statement that “Consumer confidence to participate in the economy is still very low, and hopefully this will help the public feel more comfortable visiting their favourite local shops.
Photo-ops of the Mayor in a restaurant that has the Post Promise decal on their front door would help.
By Staff
September 28th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Do you need to test for the Covid 19 infection?
If you needed one – were you able to get a test?
Where would you go to be tested?
When would the results be available to you?
More questions and answers.
And a very mixed message from the provincial government.
The province put out a graphic that should help.
By Staff
September 28th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone with ears will have heard that there were 700 new COVID infections across the province.
And many will have heard that we are into a second wave of infections (no kidding) and that it should peak at around 1000 new infections a day by the middle of October.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the province’s record-setting new case count Monday for COVID-19 “deeply concerning” but announced no new public health measures, despite calls by a group of doctors and medical experts calling for a return to Stage 2.
The province reported an additional 700 cases of the infection on Monday, the most on a single day since the outbreak began in late January.
 The picture appears to be that of a beleaguered man – – time for the Premier to begin walking the tough talk. Speaking to reporters, Ford said Ontario is indeed embarking on its second wave, which will be “more complicated, more complex — it’ll be worse” than the first.
Still, asked about calls by the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) to re-implement restrictions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Minister of Health Christine Elliott said, “We don’t want to turn back a stage unless we absolutely have to.”
 Is there a covid rule that isn’t broken in this picture? The province also announced the recruitment of 3,700 more health-care workers and caregivers, including nurses and personal support workers (PSWs), at a price tag of $52 million.
Burlington has for the most part been sparred really significant new infections. The breakdown of that 700 number had Halton with more new infections than Hamilton.
Niagara Region: 20
Halton Region: 15
Hamilton: 13
Simcoe Muskoka: 12
Nelson High School reported 2 infections.
By Pepper Parr
September 28th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Last June Regan Russell was walking in front of a transport truck that was loaded with hogs that were being taken into the Fearmans slaughter house. The truck had stopped until protesters finished walking front of it; Regan Russell wasn’t able to get out of the way in time and was run over by the truck. She died at the scene.
 Regan Russell The slaughter house is part of a group of slaughter houses across the country that are owned by Sofina Foods.
Regan was one of a number of demonstrators who gather regularly at the Harvester Road/Appleby Line intersection to, as they put it, “bear witness to what is taking place” and to attempt to water the hogs.
They see what they are doing as a peaceful demonstration. They are indeed slowing down the entry of the truck into the meat processing plant.
Regan was run over by the truck that apparently didn’t see her. She was slight in stature and the front of the truck was very high.
The Regional Police investigated and came to the conclusion that a 28-year-old male from the Municipality of North Perth was to be charged with Careless Driving Causing Death under the Highway Traffic Act. The police reported that ‘there were no grounds to indicate this was an intentional act, or that a criminal offence had been committed.”
 The protesters usually arrive as a group waiting for the transport truck to enter the slaughterhouse. Animal Rights protesters have been demonstrating at that location for a number of years.
The meat processing plant, in operation since the 1960’s, has no intention of moving and currently employs 1000 people.
The provincial government recently passed legislation that would give the municipalities that have demonstrator problems “tools” to handle these situations.
The argument is that the issue is really one of public safety – they want the demonstrators out of the way.
Strong legislation certainly helps do that.
 Protestors water hogs when the transport has to stop for a traffic light at the entrance to the slaughterhouse. At the Monday City Council meeting a resolution was put forward and passed unanimously.
The Resolution reads:
Whereas the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020 recognizes the unique risks that can result from interfering with livestock transport including creating unsafe work conditions as well as causing stress to animals and introducing diseases or contaminating our food supply; and
Whereas Sections 6(1), 7, 14(1) 3 and 15(1) of the Act came into effect on September 2, 2020 and prohibit the stopping, hindering, obstructing or otherwise interfering with a motor vehicle transporting farm animals; and
Whereas protest groups, including minor children, present outside the Sofina pork plant in Burlington continue to reach inside livestock trailers to touch, film and give water to the pigs creating an unsafe situation where they may be injured by the animals or trailer; and
Whereas the recent tragic loss of the life of a protester in Burlington underscores the urgent need to ensure the safety of all involved; and
Whereas Section 6(2) of the Act states that no person shall interfere or interact with a farm animal being transported by a motor vehicle without the prior consent of the driver of the motor vehicle;
Therefore be it resolved that the City of Burlington pass a resolution urging the Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to immediately proclaim Section 6(2) of the Act in order to provide a legal basis to prevent the unsafe practice of protestors having contact with livestock trailers and animals; and
That this resolution be forwarded to Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Region of Halton.
Those in favour of the motion didn’t have a word to say about the right of people to protest.
 Hog suffering from heat while being transported. Councillor Sharman sounded more like a shill for Sofina Foods (they are in his ward) rather than a person responsible for the wider community. The puffball questions he asked the three delegations were embarrassing.
Which begs the question: Why not find a way to allow the Animal Rights people to demonstrate, maybe even water the hogs while the trucks wait at the gate for 10 minutes.
After which the demonstrators would be required to move on.
The Conservation Authority closes off a portion of Kind Road for weeks in the spring so that the Jefferson Salamander can cross the road and mate in the wetlands.
 He isn’t exactly pretty but nevertheless plays an important role in the local environment.
In 2008 a provincial tribunal found that the loss of a habitat for the Jefferson Salamander in north Burlington was reason enough not to give the Nelson Aggregate an extension to their license.
We have a proud history of protecting endangered species. Admittedly hogs are not endangered but the right of people to voice their views in a public place is as important as making huge allowances for an endangered species.
That history was sullied this morning by city council.
Related news story:
Protester run over by truck transporting pigs to slaughter.
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
September 24th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
‘Did someone at Queen’s Park teach the Premier and his colleagues that song about “The Big Rock Candy Mountain”?
Money is flying out of the government coffers.
A million here; ten million there – yesterday it was $1 billion.
All for good reasons – this time it was to Expand COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing.
That we have to test so much is really the problem. We now know what we have to do to keep COVID-19 under control – create a safe bubble and stay in it.
The Prime Minister put it in language we could all understand. “There will be no Thanksgiving Dinners with extended family – but if we do the right things we have a shot at Christmas”.
 A Canadian city with a diverse population. The Ontario government is building on the largest provincial testing initiative in Canada by providing $1.07 billion to expand COVID-19 testing and case and contact management.
The government is also immediately investing $30 million to prevent and manage outbreaks in priority sectors, including the province’s long-term care homes, retirement homes, and schools. These investments are part of the province’s comprehensive plan to prepare the health system for a second wave of COVID-19.
To date, Ontario has maintained adherence to public health measures and established a strong foundation for testing and case and contact management by:
 Smaller than microscopic – this virus needs you to become its home so that it can replicate itself. • Establishing a provincial COVID-19 lab network with capacity for more than 40,000 daily tests;
• Establishing over 150 assessment centres;
• Testing long-term care home residents and staff in addition to the ongoing testing of staff and homes in outbreak;
• Providing up to 1,700 more contact tracers to support public health units in contact follow-ups through an agreement with the federal government;
• Launching a new, custom-built case and contact management digital system to improve data quality and timeliness and eliminate the use of the multiple tools being used across the province and the integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) for COVID-19;
• Launching COVID Alert, the country’s made-in-Ontario exposure notification app; and
• Launching a robust public awareness campaign to educate the public on how to keep them and their families safe, including targeted campaigns to young Ontarians.
Many people have heard all this before – it is the ones who haven’t heard, or don’t want to hear, that are the problem.
 Less than 8 days ago in a Canadian city – near a university campus Massive minimum fines is a start – something to catch their attention.
The rest of us can remind those who choose not to wear masks to start now.
The Regional Police have a program that allows the driver of a car who spots someone driving erratically to dial 911.
Amazing how many of these dangerous drivers get pulled over very quickly and charged with a Highway Traffic Offence.
The Provincial Medical Officer of Health has the power to take action along those lines.
Do it – use the billion dollars to swear in constables with the power to take people into custody if they are not wearing a mask.
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 Staff
September 23rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
There will be another Telephone Town Hall hosted by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward this evening from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
The Mayor will be joined by a panel of local leaders to help answer residents’ questions.
How to Participate
Residents who would like to participate in the town hall can do so in the following ways:
Register in advance: Burlington residential phone numbers will be randomly selected to be part of the telephone town hall. Residents who would like to be added to the telephone call list can email getinvolved@burlington.ca.
Please note: if you registered for any of the previous town halls (held on March 26, April 14, June 4 or July 16), you are not required to register your phone number again. To remove a name from the call list, email getinvolved@burlington.ca.
Join by telephone: Anyone who does not receive a telephone invitation can call 1-800-779-0904 just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 to join the town hall. For those individuals calling in, please be advised that more than one attempt may be required due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If the first call does not connect, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again.
Once the call begins, a moderator will provide participants with instructions for how to submit their questions to the leadership panel.
Many of the questions not answered during the call will be posted, with answers, to the City’s website at burlington.ca/townhall, along with an audio file and full transcript of the call after Sept. 23.
By Staff
September 23rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Regional government has pushed a little harder on the need for people to wear face masks.
On September 16th they approved multiple amendments to the Mandatory Mask By-law, where it is mandatory to wear a face covering or non-medical mask in certain indoor public places across the region.
These amendments were made to provide further clarification and requirements related to age, employees working in designated staff areas and enclosed common areas in apartment/condominium buildings. Amendments to the by-law take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, and remain in effect until November 30, 2020, unless extended by Regional Council.
 Face masks now required in a condo or apartment laundry room. Key amendments to By-law 47-20 include:
• clarification that every person aged five (5) years old or older is required to wear a non-medical mask or face covering in certain indoor public places;
• the requirement that employees working within a designated staff area (not for public access) need to maintain a physical distance of two metres from colleagues; and
• the addition of enclosed common areas of apartment or condominium buildings, including the lobby, elevator, laundry room, meeting rooms or other common use facilities as “public places”.
“Halton Region Public Health continues to urge residents to follow all public health measures and remain vigilant to reduce the severity of a second wave of COVID-19,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health. “In addition to wearing a mask in indoor public places, please continue to physically distance, wash your hands often, limit non-essential social gatherings and stay home when you are sick (even with mild symptoms).”
It is important to remember that some individuals are exempt from the by-law. As the by-law continues to be in effect, Halton Region reminds residents to continue being kind and supportive of others in our community who may be exempt. Every person’s situation is different and not all exemptions may be visible. The provision that no person shall be discriminated against for not wearing a non-medical mask or face covering due to an exemption, remains in the by-law.
“Halton Region’s Mandatory Mask By-Law continues to be an important part of our community effort to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “These amendments were based on feedback received from the Halton community to ensure there is a consistent by-law in place across the region and further protect each other during the pandemic. Thank you to all residents and businesses who continue to take this pandemic seriously and follow public health direction.”
By Pepper Parr
September 22, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 The flu shot is free – and it doesn’t hurt THAT much. Flu shots – flu shots – not the hoped for COVID-19 vaccine – this is the normal seasonal flu we are to be protected against.
Great – the province has ordered more than 5 million doses and is spending $70 million.
So I can call my doctor’s office and head in for that quick jab in the arm?
How do I do that?
And that’s the rub – there is no protocol in place for all of us to get the flu shot.
Those in long term care homes are first on the list – good.
The seniors are next – so how do we seniors learn where we are supposed to go and when?
Have you noticed that the medical people tend to avoid email – so they will call me?
The pharmacies are said to be given permission to get into the game. That’s being worked out.
The province released step 1 in the six step plan they have to keep us all safe. Meanwhile the increase in people infected rises. No idea what the other five steps in that plan are – many suspect that just what those others steps are has yet to be worked out.
The graphic below is evidence enough – that curve is going in the wrong direction. And we the people are the only ones who can change its direction.
 The slope of the curve is now rising steeper than it was when we had hit a peak.
 By Staff
September 22, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Residents are invited to take part in the interactive online events and activities during the 11th annual Culture Days.
Culture Days is extending beyond the traditional Culture Days weekend to a more inclusive and interactive four-week schedule of activities. Kicking off Sept. 25 and running until Oct. 25, Culture Days invites everyone to participate in and show appreciation for arts and culture in their own community and nationwide.
 This year’s theme is Unexpected Intersections – encouraging creative and outside-the-box thinking to reveal new avenues of discovery, learning, and expression. In light of the current situation with COVID-19, Culture Days is featuring digital presentations, do-it-yourself activities and self-guided programs.
The Culture Days website showcases thousands of virtual and in-person activities. Visitors can find small-gathering or self-guided events near them, while going digital allows participants to virtually cross the country and discover live-streamed performances and other online presentations.
You can find a Culture Days event HERE
About Culture Days
Culture Days has become the largest cultural event in Canada, attracting an estimated 2.5 million annual attendees to thousands of free activities and performances hosted by artists, cultural organizations and municipalities in hundreds of communities across Canada.
 By Staff
September 21st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board started their second week of having students in the schools – and no serious COVID-19 infections.
As of this morning there were 4 people in three schools who were sent home due to a suspected infection.
Emily Carr, Sunningdale (2 people) and Maple Grove reported people that were sent home. No detail on whether these were all students or if any teachers were involved.
None of the schools were closed.
 Director of Education, Stuart Miller on a ZOOM cal with the Board of Trustees Director of Education Stuart Miller reports that the classes being delivered virtually are working their way through the early stages.
“We had some experience with the software last April, May and part of June when all that was available to students was the virtual classroom.
Now something in excess of 20% of the student population opted for a virtual education. Miller said that a bit of a sense of the new normal was beginning to take shape. The students are back in the classroom and learning new rules and procedures they have to follow.
“Perfect, it isn’t”, said Miller – but then there is no such thing as a perfect classroom situation.
Most of the schools are located in Oakville where all the data matrices are high. Miller was not able to say why the Oakville numbers are consistently high other than that perhaps more Oakville people have returned to work and are using some form of public transit.
Everyone from the Board administration, the trustees , parents, and everyone at the Public Health Unit, are watching the daily numbers very closely.
Toronto and Peel are the dangerous hot spots – the Premier talks loudly about putting parts of the province in another lock-down.
 By Staff
September 21st, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
A Shoe Strike
What is a shoe strike.
First it is taking place on Friday September 25th.
Why?
WHAT: A unique youth organized climate strike inviting everyone in Burlington to join in demanding that all levels of government act immediately on the urgent climate crisis.
HOW: Due to social distancing, the climate strike will be held in a representational manner, with the community invited to share a pair of their SHOES to represent their participation. Shoe Strikes have been effective in several locations and countries around the world. Participants are invited to insert a note inside their shoes to convey their message about why urgent action on climate change is important to them. Youth organizers will summarize the notes and relay them to local political leaders.
NOTE: This will be a silent protest. There will be NO opportunity for speeches or public announcements or political leader photo ops.
 Shoes can be dropped off in advance at: Rolling Horse Community Cycle (650 Plains Rd E #2) & 2466 Newport St. (a house near Headon Forest Dr.) beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd & up until Thursday, Sept 24th. Shoes can also be placed at the shoe strike location (tent. scheduled at Civic Square, City Hall, Brant Street) between 10am and noon on Sept. 25.
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 25 – Shoe drop off from 10am to noon. Silent Shoe Strike display from 12 noon to 2pm. After 2pm shoes will be collected and returned to hosts or donated to a local charity that will distribute them to those in need.
WHO: Similar Shoe Strikes will take place in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills on the same day, approx. at the same time.
Fridays for Future will be co-ordinating similar Climate Strikes throughout Canada. Locally, organizers come from a cross-section of groups: Burlington Biodiversity Team, Students for Change Halton, BurlingtonGreen Youth Network, Burlington Citizens Concerned about Climate Change (BC4), and local residents.
 By Pepper Parr
September 20th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
They are an 1100 member strong organization that lace up and play the “good old hockey game” on rented ice around the city.
Saturday night was the season opener – it was a lot different than it was last year.
To start – the season at this point is in place for up to Thanksgiving – the COVID infection rate is impacting everything.
Several of the eight divisions got ice time – on ice that wasn’t quite up to the standard most of the players wanted, at least at the Central
 They laced up under street lights and entered the area through different doors – in for those starting – out for those who had played their game. Arena where the players laced up in the dark on plastic chairs set out six feet apart.
A carpet was spread out and there was enough light to get the laces in place.
Many of the players arrived in pickup trucks, got into their shoulder pads, knee pads and jerseys along with the hockey pants and walked over to where the chairs were to lace up their skates.
Players going in to play hockey went in through one set of doors – those who had completed a game came out a different door.
In between the games everything gets wiped down.
The league make up has eight divisions with usually six teams in a division.
Those teams get balanced after 10 games – in a normal season.
COVID normality has changed everything in what is usually a 50 game season.
Scot Cameron who does media for the club, as well as play goalie for one of the teams, was waiting for the ice time his team had been allocated.
 Larry Hallett, goalie for the Black Hawks in the Green Division rolls his equipment out to his vehicle after a 4-0 loss on ice he didn’t think was up to scratch. Larry Hallet, who plays goalie for the Black Hawks in the Green Division, was rolling his pads out to his vehicle and commented on the ice, then ventured into comments on the game he had just played.
“It was 4-0 for the other guys” he said, “the puck seldom left our end of the ice.
“The game was basically over ten minutes after it started – almost every power play resulted in a goal for the other team.”
Larry seemed OK with that. The challenge for these guys was the shape they were in and the length of time since they were last on the ice.
And there is always another game.
By Ray Rivers
September 18th, 2020
MOUNTSBERG, ON
These are scary times especially if you are grandparents. When it comes to educating our youth, no one should doubt that school boards, teachers and maintenance staff are doing the best they can in the circumstances. But then nobody can say the schools are as safe as they could be – or used to be before the pandemic hit us. The circumstances have changed.
Seven months have passed since the schools were shut down as part of the provincial COVID-19 lock-down. The Premier warned us that this was not going away, that we’d have to change how we do things if we are to avoid getting infected. So what about the children? Aside from some widening of the aisles between students’ desks very little seems to have changed.
Yes, there are the masks and the single cohorts and the managed crowd control, coming and going. But the students, for the most part, are still captive and crowded within their inadequately ventilated classroom environment for most of their day – another petrie dish for the virus and another opportunity for viral transmission.
 Leo taking part in a class exercise So when my wife and I had heard that school would be returning pretty much business-as-usual, we reached out to the parents of our youngest grandchildren and offered to help with their children’s grade 2 and 4 French immersion schooling. There are in excess of 20,000 children who receive homeschooling every year in Ontario, so we’d be in good company, we thought.
Fortunately the education ministry had announced that parents could opt out of sending their children back to the classroom and engage in their program of online or distance learning instead. Students would pretty much get their regular course load but learn at home rather than trucking off to school. The Halton Board sent out requests to parents asking them to opt for the option of their choice.
Teachers, apparently some also teaching regular classes, would appear online through the application of Google online conferencing tools, mainly Google Meet and Google Classroom. Teachers use various media to assist in their online teaching and students are even invited to submit contributions, such as, photos.
There are three teaching blocks of 100 minutes each covering the 8:45 am to 3:05 pm day, and duplicating the essence of what would be learned in a regular classroom. Students may even be given homework assignments. And the online platform allows students to see their teacher as well a number of fellow students, making the experience feel a little less remote.
When we undertook to invite the children to our house we expected that we would be heavily involved in preparing classes. Both of us do have some pedagogical training. As it turns out our role is little more than supervision and coaching as the teachers do the heavy lifting of bringing the curriculum to life on the small screen.
How is it going? Well there was some minor stumbling at the beginning, something one should expect with the introduction of this new way of conducting regular classroom instruction. But the students appear to be excited about what they are doing. And the teachers, in our experience, have been wonderful, clearly competent, enthusiastic and responsive to the needs of the students and their coaches.
While being able to conduct regular classes online sounds pretty amazing, the truth is the technology is still not as user friendly as it could be. But the biggest problem is the size of the online classes. There are close to thirty students in each of the children’s classes.
 Bea doing math. It is impossible to practically see all of one’s classmates on a computer screen. And so it is a difficult for the teacher to stay on top of what everyone is doing. And that makes it a huge challenge for effective immersion language training, for example.
Going through the roster of students can take an inordinate amount of time and that can be really boring to those waiting their turn. Students can lose interest and drift off, even with the best of teachers. And that is the big fear – that students will lose interest, shut down, and their performance will reflect that failing.
This is the same problem one sees in over overcrowded regular classrooms only magnified by the remote learning complication. The solution is obvious – hire more teachers for distance learning. In a country where the unemployment rate is currently above 10% and governments are spilling money like rain water, you’d think this was more than possible.
Of course teachers need some training and a program to follow but this is not rocket science – unless they actually are teaching rocket science. And of course experience counts. But our children are the future, why wouldn’t we want to invest more in their education?
Distance Learning –
Online Learning –
 Ray Rivers usually writes about politics and the environment. His grandchildren are doing elementary school as distant learners.
By Pepper Parr
September 17th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ice pad to be used as a COVID testing location? There has been complaint upon complaint about the length of time it takes to get a COVID-19 test and then about how long it takes to get the results.
 Simple procedure – takes minute or two – testing backlog is big. The city is working with the hospital to use one of the rinks at Nelson to use as a place tests can be done.
For reasons that are not at all clear – this has become a hush hush matter.
During a Standing Committee meeting earlier today Director of Parks and Recreation said an announcement would be made “very soon”.
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