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March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON,ON
A light voice on a difficult day. The hospital announcing that a 93 bed unit is being built for the expected COVID-19 patients; the Prime Minister warning corporations not to try and game the system.
We needed something to brighten the day 
March 31st, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The world, like the people at the Burlington Food Bank, has March going out like a LION. “We’ve been seeing an increase in the number of people using our services around 25 families a day.  Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Food Bank outside the receiving doors Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Food Bank reports: “This morning we saw a group at the front of our store and everyone is responsibly social distancing themselves. We’ve managed to get about 20 of 25 moved to the home delivery model so far. If you know of anyone (a neighbour or a relative) that might need food please check in on them. We are here to help. If you want to help – you can donate HERE
March 31st, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
We are in perilous times and will have to, on occasion, make important and immediate decisions. There is nothing easy about any of this. A short short video clip on how best to approach these situations is HERE The production values are not all that good but the message is clear. Please share this information.
March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON 93 additional beds are being built in a modular unit attached to the South Tower of the Joseph Brant Hospital. Joseph Brant Hospital is building a temporary Pandemic Response Unit to expand the hospital’s bed capacity in preparation for the anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients. This modular structure is being built on the hospital grounds and connected to the South Tower. It will provide 93 additional beds for patients who require hospitalization and treatment for COVID-19.  Modular hospital that will house at least 93 beds is on the way to Burlington from Calgary. The modular unit left Calgary this afternoon on a transport truck – they will begin putting it together – could be ready by the end of the week.  JBH president Eric Vandewall “The Pandemic Response Unit is being built as a critical part of our pandemic response plan to meet the heightened care needs of our community and ultimately save lives,” says Eric Vandewall, President & CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital. “We are doing everything we can to care for the people of Burlington to prepare for these unprecedented times.” The Pandemic Response Unit is a collaboration between Joseph Brant Hospital, community-based health care providers, the City of Burlington, and Halton Region. “The construction of the Pandemic Response Unit will allow the hospital to preserve our critical care and high acuity patient beds for our sickest patients,” states Dr. Ian Preyra, Chief of Staff for Joseph Brant Hospital. “Physicians from the Burlington community are volunteering to provide patient care in the Pandemic Response Unit, treating COVID-19 positive patients with acute care needs who may require oxygen therapy and ongoing monitoring. “I have confidence in our health care system, and particularly in our healthcare professionals. The Federal government has provided an extra $500 million to provinces to support our health care system. We are also coordinating the procurement of essential equipment to keep our front line workers safe and working with Canadian industry, including here in Halton, to produce the equipment we need. I want to recognize the efforts of our local hospital. This is a challenging time for everyone, but the measures we are putting in place are extremely important. By staying home and physically distancing ourselves from each other we are keeping our frontline workers, like nurses and doctors, safe. We all have a role play to protect ourselves and our community from Covid-19,” states Hon. Karina Gould, Member of Parliament for Burlington. “On the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, the Ministry of Health has requested all hospitals implement pandemic plans to help increase capacity as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow. In these unprecedented times, I’m proud of the work the team at Joseph Brant Hospital is doing to ensure they are prepared to serve the people of Burlington by adding capacity,” MPP Jane McKenna reflects. “Thank you to the wonderful doctors, nurses and every employee on the frontlines at Joseph Brant Hospital. You are the real heroes in this crisis.”  Modular structure is being built on the hospital grounds and connected to the South Tower. It will provide 93 additional beds “Joseph Brant Hospital’s plan for a Pandemic Response Unit is a critical step in ensuring we have the right resources in place during COVID-19,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “This is a difficult time for everyone as we fight this “invisible threat” and I applaud the leadership at Joseph Brant Hospital and all community partners who are working together to support our healthcare workers. It is also important at this time for everyone in our community to practice physical distancing to reduce the burden on our hospital resources,” states Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “I fully support the action Joseph Brant Hospital is taking in preparing for an increase in COVID-19 patients. Our community, including our hospital, needs to plan and prepare for every contingency during this emergency situation,” says Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.
March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
Comments from residents on what they see happening about the city suggest that the Mayor’s message hasn’t reached all ears.  The normal walk to the canal just wasn’t possible – there were far too many people on the path. One resident said: “I abandoned my solo walk on the beach path this afternoon between the hospital and the lift bridge as it was simply too crowded to be sure that everyone was two metres apart.” Another reported that “ at Spencer Smith Park, parents or caregivers were observed pushing young children on the swings, even though there was caution tape surrounding the swing sets. Unfortunately, the City must use their resources to dismantle the swings to protect the children from their parents or caregivers if they don’t adhere to the State of Emergency.” The Gazette published this article yesterday – the last line “This will inevitably force us into lockdown.” is what the city will be forced to do. “ I live on a court and have observed a home with a single resident welcome a) a girlfriend (not living at said residence), b) an adult son (not living at said residence) and c) a cleaning lady (also, not living at said residence). Likewise, I have noted a young couple with an 18 month old welcome one set of grandparents for playtime and a meal, and the next day another set of grandparents for playtime and a visit. People are only willing to self isolate and socially distance themselves if it is of no inconvenience to them. This will inevitably force us into lockdown.” “The beach path was terribly crowded yesterday – I saw someone had posted a video of the full parking lot and lots of people crammed everywhere. This will surely result in the parking lots being closed and perhaps the path itself being closed.”
March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON Jim Young reports on how the Aldershot community is dealing with the COVID 19 crisis. Those of you who pay attention to what happens in Aldershot, and we know that is everybody in Burlington, have probably heard by now that a group of us out in our city’s wild west are organizing twice weekly food drives to help keep Burlington Foodbank supplied and helping those who need help amid the Covid 19 crisis. In such times the need for food is greater and in a medical pandemic not only does the need increase but the logistics of supplying foodbanks get more complex and run the risk of food donations drying up completely. People who might normally donate food are socially and physically distancing themselves, staying home hesitant to venture out of doors. Volunteers who help with collection and distribution of food are less readily available, afraid to expose themselves and families or may even be sick themselves People are hoarding food and reluctant to share. Hoarding produces a double hit on foodbanks. Fewer personal donations are available and empty store shelves leave grocery chains unable to make the donations of surpluses they regularly provide. As a result many organizations that provide food for the needy and the hungry, have closed their doors. The lack of donations and the fear of physical contact involved in normal foodbank operations, have forced Halton Compassion Society, like many charitable and church food supply organizations to close down indefinitely. Faced with a reduction in food donations at a time when the need is greatest, the Outreach Committee at St Matthew Anglican Church, on Plains Rd. are doing something to help. In conjunction with Partnering Aldershot Seniors Committee and Engaged Citizens Ward 1 Group they are collecting non-perishable food donations on behalf of Burlington Foodbank two days per week.  Food donations get dropped off at the front door – out of the weather – they are taken inside moments after they are dropped off. In an inventive way of collecting donations safely, while limiting personal physical contact, these good folks have established a drive through donation drop off at St. Matthew Anglican Church. This allows donors to continue supporting Burlington’s only operating foodbank safely in this time of crisis and caution. Supervised from behind the church’s glass frontage, donors drive around the circular driveway, stop by the wooden skids on the sidewalk, get out, safely deposit their donation in bags or boxes and drive off with thanks from the volunteer on duty inside. Donations are accepted Monday and Wednesday from 12.00 noon to 3.00pm. As 3.00 approaches volunteer drivers arrive one at a time on a pre-arranged schedule to load the donations into their cars. Again “No Contact” is the watchword. Bagged and boxed donations are delivered to Burlington Foodbank on Old Plains Road. At the foodbank wheeled polyethylene laundry hampers await. Drivers transfer the bags from their cars to the carts again with no physical person to person contact involved. Drivers practice safe hygiene protocols for themselves and their vehicles. Burlington Foodbank has its own quarantine and sanitation protocols in place to ensure that cross contamination of containers and packaging is minimised. Distribution of food hampers will be continued by Burlington Foodbank but will be modified to a delivery model rather than traditional individual pick-ups. Those in need should contact info@burlingtonfoodbank.ca (905 637 CARE (2237). Our hope is that this process will allow food donations to the foodbank to continue and, as word gets out, to increase from the current extremely reduced levels. As the only currently safe method of making food donations, Burlington Foodbank is recommending that the Drive-Thru Donations at St Matthew be utilized rather than risky, individual donations at its Old Plains Rd. outlet. At a time like this, monetary and grocery gift card donations are the most hygienic, non-contact way to donate and we urge people of Burlington to give generously in this way. For those without the means to donate financially or who may be suffering buyer’s remorse at overstocking during the first days of panic buying, we hope to provide a way to continue giving safely in compliance with physical distancing protocols. St Matthew’s Outreach Committee, Partnering Aldershot Seniors and Engaged Citizens Ward 1 Group exemplify all that is good about Aldershot, and Burlington. Help us continue to help those in need when the need is greatest. Connie Price, Grace Anne Wilbur, Jim Young.
March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
Due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the City of Burlington has decided to suspend all City-run spring programs and extend the closure of all recreation facilities, parks, playgrounds, sports fields and City administration facilities to the end of June. During this time, all bookings will be cancelled, and refunds will be given. Organizations and residents are asked to please be patient as refunds may take up to two weeks to process. Questions related to rentals can be sent to rentals@burlington.ca. For registrations, email liveandplay@burington.ca. This decision, made by the City’s Emergency Control Group, follows the guidance of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health to prepare and plan for the months ahead. The City of Burlington regularly plans in quarters, including Council’s 4-year strategic workplan, Vision to Focus. We need to make decisions now that affect programming weeks and months out, to provide some certainty to our community and to our many community partners. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward explains that: “This decision is absolutely necessary to protect the health and well-being of our employees and our community, as we plan for the best but prepare for the worst. “COVID-19 numbers are still rising in our City through community spread. So we must continue to work towards flattening the curve through social and physical distancing and staying home. That means we can’t gather together at recreation facilities, community centres, sports fields and parks. “We don’t know exactly how long this situation is going to last. By planning ahead, we can redirect resources where most needed, put non-essential projects on hold, and remain agile enough to open things up earlier if the situation changes. And once this is over, we will come together again as a community to celebrate. Let’s each do our part to get through this, healthy and whole.” We are asking everyone to remember they have a role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19: Please continue to keep out of park facilities including o playgrounds, During this extended closure we will continue to maintain our essential services and those services that provide direct support to keep our residents and staff safe. These include areas such as Burlington Fire, Burlington Transit including Handi-Van, Traffic Services, ByLaw Enforcement, Roads, Parks and Forestry Operations, Building Inspections and Service Burlington. With this announcement the administration wants to assure residents that the business of the City will continue during this critical time. “Our staff that are able, are continuing to work from home to maintain City services such as Community Planning, City Capital Works and various Corporate Services. During this unprecedented time, we are continually looking at ways for us to work more efficiently and to use taxpayer dollars wisely. We have already put in place spending restraints on all non-essential purchases during this time and will look to utilize our staff where we can instead of outsourcing. “The majority of the City’s expenditures is paying our hard-working employees and we must continue to ensure we have the staff needed to get us through these challenging times. This means we will maintain our full-time staff workforce. They will continue to work remotely during this period or be redeployed where possible into essential service areas. We are also aware of other organizations that may need assistance, like the Region of Halton, where we may be able to redeploy staff. “For our part-time staff, we will look at various options including evaluating government assistance programs being offered by the provincial and federal governments. “Once we have looked at options for our staff, as a last resort we will also consider layoffs as required. “We also know we’re not going to be back to 100 per cent on Day 1 after this pandemic has ended. We have to set the expectations for ourselves as a City and the public that it won’t be business as usual the first day we’re back from this. However, having plans in place for the next three months means we’ll be able to get back on our feet, operating at 100 per cent again that much sooner. “This situation is evolving every hour and we are continually monitoring. The City of Burlington will continue to keep you informed.  Tim Commisso, City Manager Tim Commisso, City Manager adds that “Over the last few weeks our focus and priority has been on dealing with the immediate impacts of COVID-19 which has included meeting daily and taking specific actions based on analysis of virus spread and in partnership with public health. “Clearly, we now need to look ahead and make decisions that are in best interests of our community and staff. We still need to do all we can to prevent the spread of the virus and continue to deliver our essential services in addition to providing certainty and stability for the next several months. We remain committed to strong financial management and ensuing we have adequate resources to meet this challenge.”
March 30th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON Mayor Meed Ward explains how council will continue to guide and direct the administration as the city settles in for what is going to be a long haul.  Burlington Mayor, Marianne Meed Ward We continue to find ourselves in unprecedented times with our lives changing daily, and at times hourly. We now know that the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be over as soon as we expected. We’ve heard from the Province, guided by the Medical Officer of Health, that gathering together in schools and other places will not be possible by April 6 as we had hoped, with no definitive timeline following that. We are also expecting another announcement from the Province related to schools in the coming days. We have also heard from Canada’s deputy chief public health officer that this situation will last “many The City of Burlington and your Mayor and Council are committed to seeing us all through this health crisis. To do that successfully, we must turn our mind to being prepared beyond hour-to-hour and day-to-day to a longer time horizon. The City of Burlington regularly plans in quarters — that’s our rhythm, that’s what we do, including It is prudent then for us to prepare for the next three months and continue our planning in three-month cycles, and important for us to provide stability and certainty to the public. In practical terms, there are decisions that must be made now for activities months ahead, including activities that affect many of our community partners and city operations. We need a plan for what the next three months will look like in our community, and we are going to do that. We will plan for the best, and prepare for the worst, and be ready to respond no matter what may come. We also know we’re not going to be back to full operations the day our State of Emergency is lifted. It won’t be business as usual the first day we’re back, so part of our three-month plan will include ramping back up to full operations. Our plan will also be agile and include flexibility to return to full operations sooner, should the situation warrant.  Stand By says the city motto – for how long one might ask? The duration of the crisis depends on all of us. Everyone in our community has a role to play in this. The more of us that stay home (except for essential trips or outdoor walks/jogs/cycling); keep a 2-metre (6- foot) distance from anyone not in our immediate household when we are out; stop congregating in groups in public places; and follow all the advice of our expert medical professionals, the sooner we will see this situation resolved. When it’s done, we will mark the occasion with a community celebration that brings us all back together!
March 29th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The message isn’t getting through the way it has to or we will, as our reader said, all be “in lock-down”. Here is what we received: I live on a court and have observed a home with a single resident welcome a) a girlfriend (not living at said residence), b) an adult son (not living at said residence) and c) a cleaning lady (also, not living at said residence). Likewise, I have noted a young couple with an 18 month old welcome one set of grandparents for playtime and a meal, and the next day another set of grandparents for playtime and a visit. People are only willing to self-isolate and socially distance themselves if it is of no inconvenience to them. This will inevitably force us into lock-down. We asked for the specific address and were quite prepared to advise the Public Health Department who would send someone out with the police to “educate” the individual. Our reader advised us that she had a talk with them. This virus is spread from person to person. Stay at Home – please.
March 29th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
This came to us from a Gazette reader: Carol Gottlob has been with us from the very beginning. I’ve never taken advantage of any opportunity to be a passenger on that bike; today she can put on her helmet and the rest of her safety gear and enjoy the freedom the road offers – and those roads will be close to empty today. Ride with the wind my friend! Tips from a Road Warrior by Carol Gottlob:  Carol Gottlob with her 750 Honda Shadow. In these times of new rules governing our lives to keep us safe in the time of CoVid, I would like to provide some simple tips from the perspective of a motorcyclist. As a motorcyclist, I AM A RISK TAKER. This is pointed out to me at every opportunity when I tell people I ride a 750 Honda Shadow. I am well aware of the risks. They are calculated risks, and along with them, are some useful protocols to reduce those risks and improve my safety and the safety of those I share the road with. Here they are, and here is how you can apply them to your current self protection plan: 1. Keep your engine and brakes in good working condition. This equates to keeping yourself healthy by eating well, exercising and getting rest. 2. Wear protective gear. I don’t go on my bike without a helmet, gloves, and a safety jacket at the very least. You should not go out of the house without a mask, gloves or sanitizer if you are going to be in a grocery store, liquor store or gas station. 3. Ride at a safe distance. When we ride in formation, we are staggered, and the higher the speed, the further apart we are distanced to allow time for emergency braking. Remember to keep at least 6 feet apart when walking outdoors, shopping or talking to your neighbour on the front porch. 4. Ride defensively. Don’t assume everyone is going to follow the rules. Be watchful, especially at the intersections! But also remember to be polite if someone makes a mistake. 5. Know where you are going. Plan your route so there are no surprises, such as construction or a road closure. Likewise, plan your shopping trips efficiently so that you know which stores are open, get what you need and leave the stores quickly so others may enter. 6. Obey the traffic laws. Pull over and stop your engine when the cops pull you over. There’s a reason they’re pulling you over. It’s usually because you have been doing something unsafe, such as speeding. Listen to the authorities, for the same reasons. 7. Help others in distress. If you see a fellow rider by the side of the road, stop and ask if they need help. If you see a friend or a neighbour having trouble in these times, ask how you can help. 8. Enjoy the freedom and the journey. When you’re riding a motorcycle, it’s not because you want to or have to get somewhere, it’s because you enjoy the open road, the adventure and the friendly waves from other riders. In other words, make the best of this journey we are all on together. There will be lots of stories to swap when we stop our engines, take off our helmets, settle down with a beer and appreciate sharing the experience with other like-minded folk. We are all risk takers on this blue green planet hurtling through space. Ride safe, my friends.
March 29th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The numbers continue to rise. And yet there are those who still will not heed the Stay at Home rule. They put the rest of us in personal danger. The numbers world-wide are beyond staggering – and they are still, for the most part, climbing. China seems to have gotten a grip on the growth of the disease. Problem with data from China is that many people just don’t trust their numbers. The site with all the data is HERE  March 27th, 2020  March 23rd, 2020  March 29th, 2020
March 28th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
Brian Rose, the Burlington resident who felt he should be tested for COVID-19 after returning from Spain where he had taken part in an event that included a person who later tested positive, had to get noisy before he was tested. That took place more than a week ago  The parking spot Brian Rose was directed t at Joseph Brant Hospital. “We were tested last Saturday at Jo Brant – 1 week and still no results. In an Open Comment to Regional Chair Gary Carr, Rose said: “I trust you and our other leaders know you are making decisions with data that is: – Over a week old and derived from a very very small fraction of symptomatic Halton residents lucky enough to be tested. That means the only number you can really trust is Severe Cases, Severe Cases Recovered and Deaths. Rose referred to “an article in the Globe and Mail this morning. The University of Toronto Vector institute has launched a site to gather data online from symptomatic and asymptomatic residents. The site is up and running. “If you are interested in adding another meaningful source of data to your decision making toolbox I would suggest looking into it. “Perhaps you and the other local leaders copied could play a role in encouraging residents to provide data. I think this could really make a difference in tracking COVID-19 in Halton. The Globe and Mail article Rose refers to can be found at: Related new story Burlington resident explains what getting tested for COVID19 amounts to.
March 28th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
A regular Gazette reader, who frequently notes some of our spelling and grammar errors, brought to our attention what she thought were two frightening stories in as many days about people in Toronto driving to nearby communities away from the city to shop for food because of the shopping conditions in Toronto grocery stores. “They claim” she said that “ it’s faster and easier to go out of town than trying to negotiate shops at home; they don’t realize they are potential carriers of this disease to another community.” “Then a neighbor, who has a cottage in cottage country, thought about going there for isolation and to get away from restrictions and other people here in Burlington. Many of her cottage “neighbours” are full-time inhabitants of that area, and have made it very clear that they don’t want their city neighbours to come around and infect them.  Premier Ford discourages people from heading for their rural cottages “In fact, some of the mayors and reeves of these municipalities have contacted Doug Ford and asked him to talk about this on TV- and he did. He explained that those mayors and reeves had communities with limited facilities that were set up to accommodate their own citizens, and could not also accommodate an influx of others as well.” The leadership in the community is asking that we be responsible for our welfare: follow the rules and maintain safe distances between the people we meet. That is being individually responsible. There is also social responsibility – our reader is suggesting we pay heed to that responsibility as well.
March 27th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The City has had to make changes to various timelines and processes related to Planning and Building and By-law matters. “To that end, the Statutory public meeting scheduled for April 6 on the official downtown policies has been pushed to fall to better enable the public and all stakeholders an opportunity to provide full feedback to staff and Council as decision makers, in a public and accountable forum. “The City is currently processing development applications and building permit applications received by March 13. The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) has suspended all LPAT hearings until the end of June. As a result of COVID-19, processes for building inspections have been modified accordingly to keep both staff and the public safe.  Detailed policies on the Downtown are being developed by the consultants and staff – preparing them for public review Official Plan Update “The endorsed land use vision and built form concept for the Downtown was largely endorsed by Council this past January. The detailed policies were going to be available for public review during the week of March 23 and presented to Council in April 2020 as recommended modifications to the policies of the Adopted Official Plan. “However, these timelines have been delayed to protect the public and City staff and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 virus, the City has closed facilities, including City Hall. These closures and workplace changes have had an impact on the project timeline. As a result, the public release of the detailed policies and associated reports will be delayed. “The detailed policies will now be released at the end of April and the Statutory Public Meeting will be scheduled for the fall. The City recognizes the work of the Scoped Re-examination of the Adopted Official Plan is vitally important to continue to move forward. The City remains committed to ensuring the public has the full ability to comment on the detailed policies and for this reason, the associated timelines have been changed. Planning Applications
The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) has suspended all LPAT hearings scheduled to take place between March 16 until the end of June. The cancelled hearings will be rescheduled at a later date. Currently, hearings July onward will proceed on their scheduled date. Burlington applications affected include:  Amica – proposed development • March 20 – HHHBA Appeal of Parking rates- first Case Management Conference There were no Burlington hearings scheduled for June. Building Permits and Inspections • Building permit applications received by March 13, 2020 are currently being processed. Signage in Commercial Districts  City hall told the merchant signs like this were a no, no. • A-frame signage on private property is still permitted in front of any business during regular business hours and no permits are required. Business License Renewal  Mayor Marianne Meed Ward Mayor Marianne Meed Ward had this to say: “This is an extraordinary and unprecedented situation we’re facing, and we know it won’t be business as usual for some time. As a City, we’ll continue the operations we can, while putting the health and safety of our community and employees first. “Our downtown policies and Official Plan are vitally important to our entire community. We want to ensure the public and all stakeholders have the opportunity to provide full feedback to staff and council as decision makers, in a public and accountable forum. This work is appropriately put on hold till we can provide that opportunity. Releasing the policies early affords everyone significant time for review and comment, before decisions are made. This is perhaps the silver lining in this situation. ” Heather MacDonald, Executive Director of Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Community Planning added: “The City continues to process applications received prior to March 13th and City staff remain available by email and phone to connect and answer questions. In light of the situation with COVID-19 and the rapidly changing updates from healthcare professionals and our partners across all levels of government, our priority remains on keeping staff and the public safe. Since March 16th, City Hall remains closed to the public and we will continue to do our best to ensure transparency and accountability to the public while protecting our staff and the public.”  Nick Anastasopoulos, Chief Building Official / Director of Building & By-law Nick Anastasopoulos, Chief Building Official / Director of Building & By-law explained that: “Our primary focus is on the safety of the public, our staff and buildings in our city when we do our building inspections. Exterior building inspections are continuing with our normal process and the reality of COVID-19 has made us look at creative ways to deliver on interior inspections. We have created a modified process for interior inspections to respect physical distancing and avoid the need for staff to go into buildings. We appreciate the continued understanding of our community as we continue to address this challenge together.”
March 27th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The COVID-19 virus is being passed from person to person – that has to stop.
March 27th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
One of the things that struck us as we spent some time in supermarkets – the shelves with flour were empty!  Empty shelves – been that way for a few days. Were people hoarding the product? We reached out to Ron Foxcroft whose Fluke Transport has 150 trucks on the road moving product from manufacturers and processors to supermarkets and asked if he could shed some light on why there is a shortage of flour – at least at the supermarket level.  There are 150 of Fluke trucks on the roads running between Ontario, New York state and Pennsylvania Foxcroft came back to us with this: Institutions and homes are using lots of flour. We are trucking 5 to 10 loads a day of bulk flour for commercial use. Bakeries, etc. etc. There is a challenge getting labour to put it in smaller bags and getting labour to put it on store shelves. It takes time to load, unload, and put on shelves. It just seemed odd to us that something as basic as flour would not be on the shelves – bread shelves were stocked. We’ll keep an eye on it.
March 27th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The Food Bank was very busy this morning picking up donations from several grocery stores, assembling delivery food supply hampers and arranging deliveries. Some brand new volunteers and some drivers from Burlington Rotary – thank you so much for helping us out right now.  Diane Gris talks about the Food Bank volunteers, the clients and about managing production. Diane Gris manages the production – she makes sure that the families requesting food, not only get the food supply hamper but any special needs they may have as well. We’re trying our very best to keep distance from each other as we work at the food bank and taking every precaution so that the food delivered is as safe as possible. The short video gives you a look at the inside of a Food Bank – the unfortunate part is they are now a part of life in every community.
March 27th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
We used to say we were always so busy – now hundreds of us are sitting at home and just plain bored. There is only so much Netflix you can take. And reading those books you always wanted to read requires an approach to life that many of us have lost – just being quiet is something we find ourselves having to learn. Yesterday, and again this morning, we were sent pictures of little painted rocks by people who were out for a walk and came across them. Who put them there – and why?
Painted rocks story HERE We are waiting to hear what you learn? Send whatever you find out to publisher@bgzt.ca or put a comment at the bottom of the news story.
By Pepper Parr The number of people infected and the number of people dying of COVID-19 are higher now in the United States than they are were in China. Our data comes from a reputable source – you might want to review all the data. It can be found HERE The increase for New York city was 40% in one day. The data below shows what has taken place in one week.  March 27th, 2020  March 26th, 2020  March 23rd, 2020
March 26th, 2020 BURLINGTON, ON
The city is going to hold an electronic town hall this evening – it will not be a web cast. It will be audio only – to hear what is said you apparently dial into the 1-800 number – which we thought was for people who were going to ask question.
Cogeco TV is involved – a senior political staffer used the phrase “so I am told”. Cogeco was apparently a late comer to the initiative. Earlier in the week the Mayor was doing robo calls to random telephone numbers asking people to participate. Council members sent notices out to their participants saying: “We know there are a great deal of questions in our community related to health, finances, and supporting those in need. Call 1-800-280-9610 if you want to listen in. The people who will be asking questions have apparently been selected. “Important information is changing daily, and not everyone in our city has access to channels like television, the internet, and print media. “This one-hour town hall will be open to all members of the public and provide an opportunity to hear from a panel of leaders including:  President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital City Council and the Mayor How to Participate “For those individuals calling into the town hall, please be advised that more than one attempt may be required to connect to the call due to the high volume of traffic on the phone lines. If your call does not connect you to the town hall on your first try, please hang up and dial the 1-800 number again. “Information about the town hall has also been shared across the city through the City’s website and social media channels. “We ask our residents to help spread the word to their friends and neighbours so that anyone who is interested may participate. “Once the call begins, participants will be provided instructions by a moderator for submitting their questions to the leadership panel. “Any questions that are not answered within the hour-long call will be posted, with answers, to the City’s website at burlington.ca/coronavirus, along with an audio file of the call and a full transcript as soon we can.”
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The Koogle Theatre Group put a bunch of their students before the cameras – and well
A Gazette reader made a comment on a piece we published about the Mayor’s efforts to impress upon people the need to stay at home.
• Development applications received by March 13, 2020 are currently being processed.
Walk – don’t stop was Mayor Meed Ward’s message. She has threatened to get out her megaphone to tell people to walk by all means but don’t congregate with people who are not part of your immediate family that you live with.
Have a look at the news story we put up this morning and then go into your Sherlock Holmes mode and see if you can discover who did this really nice thing. I personally love the one of the rock that is winking at me.
For an item that has been hyped by members of Council, the Mayor and her staff there is little in the way of clarity.
