By Staff

August 27th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

They are not going to give up or walk away from the fight to xxx – despite an Ontario Land Tribunal decision that went against the community.

In a media release Millcroft Greenspace Alliance reported: “Last week, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario met in Ottawa. As part of the program, Minister of Housing Paul Calandra announced that municipalities know best where to build homes. This statement echoes a statement by Premier Ford in the past. Yet despite these comments and the comment that Ford would not allow homes to be built on floodplains, the Minister of Housing continues to allow the Millcroft Greens development on the golf course stormwater green infrastructure. Again our community is asking: Why do Ford’s statements not apply to Millcroft?”

To recap the key events and timelines of this proposed development:

·    December 2020: Argo Development submitted its application to the City of Burlington.

·    November 7, 2022: First Case Management Conference held by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) following Argo’s formal appeal of the City’s non-decision.

·    December 2022: The Burlington City Council unanimously opposed the development application and committed to a resolution requesting that the Province intervene to stop the development.

·    January 2023: Local MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos facilitated a meeting between the City and the Ministry of Housing (MAH) to begin negotiations in this regard, however these talks were unsuccessful.

·    September 2023: The City passed a resolution which was submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing formally requesting the intervention to stop development.

Daintry Klein represented the community at the Ontario Land Tribunal

·   February 16, 2024: Millcroft Greenspace Alliance (MGA) and MAD participated in a meeting with Ministry of Housing Officials to present our case, but no action was taken by the Province to intervene.

·    March 5, 2024: The Millcroft Greens OLT hearing commenced and continued for 16 days. During the OLT hearing, MGA made stormwater representations regarding climate change, stormwater guidelines, and management.

·    June 12, 2024: The OLT rendered its decision in favour of the developer acknowledging that the developer only had to meet the Provincial regulations for stormwater despite climate change and outdated guidelines.

·    August 2024: The City of Burlington made a second Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) request through a new procedure.

Signing a petition is simply not enough. We encourage everyone, including your friends and family to write to the Premier. This method worked in Whtiby.

By Staff

August 26^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

It is getting very dangerous when a private residence is broken into while the residents are in the building.

Regional Police are investigating

A home on Waterdown Road is reported to have been broken into in the early hours of August 21, with a lone suspect stealing a Mercedes from the property.

The suspect is described as brown skinned with black hair and masked.  Entry is reported to have been through forcing the front door. No weapon was seen and no injuries have been reported, but the resident was threatened verbally.

Halton Regional Police say the investigation is ongoing.

A strong statement from the Chief of Police and quick action on the part of the detectives assigned to this case are vital as this point.  People are afraid.

By Staff

August 26th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The annual Terry Fox Run for cancer research takes place on September 15th this year.

The people who do  the research work to find cures for cancer have made some significant progress.

That’s what Dr. John Goffin, an oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, had to say about his job. “While treating cancer patients might seem hard, John is inspired by each and every one of them. While he mentions the laughs, he of course acknowledges the tears. You see the full range of human emotions at the Cancer Centre.

“You might be surprised how much we laugh together in the clinic.”

“Many system-related aspects of health care are dreadful at the moment. But the human aspect does not change, and I am repeatedly encouraged by the acts of love and the generous patience shown by patients and their loved ones.”

If you’re a returning Terry Foxer, you might remember Dr. Goffin from the 2022 event. He spoke to us when we Here is what Dr. Goffin kicked off our run in the morning. If you were fortunate enough to catch that, you will remember his drive and his passion for this cause.

Dr. Goffin said at the time:

Dr. John Goffin

“When we returned to Canada from Boston in 2006, I wanted to do something useful for the cause,” he said. “It just felt natural to run for Terry Fox. It is not cliché to say that he is a hero. He is easily and immediately associated with fighting cancer. As for why I do this every year, there are three reasons. First, there’s a lot of work to do on cancer control, and that work is expensive. Second, the Terry Fox Foundation is efficient, with minimal overhead per dollar raised. Third, I commend the Foundation for its ability to communicate with and encourage fundraisers. Not every charity is as adept at maintaining momentum.”

Can We Find a Cure?
While we all love to run and walk along Burlington’s gorgeous waterfront on a beautiful day, the Terry Fox run is more than a fun run. There’s a goal and a purpose: to fund cancer research. Unlike many of us, Dr. Goffin is uniquely positioned to see our

“Will we ever cure cancer? On an individual basis, we are doing this more frequently” said John. “At a population level, we may one day get to the point where cancer is just another chronic, controlled disease for pretty much everybody who gets it. The advancements in the genetic and molecular understanding of cancer are progressing in leaps and bounds, but the tools to take advantage of that understanding will take time to develop. I’ll be frank. I know that raising tens, hundreds, or a few thousand dollars can feel like a drop in the bucket. But that’s the amazing thing about the Terry Fox Run. We are not one person. Not one drop. We are all of us an ocean, and together, we will erode and destroy the rock that is cancer.”

This goes back to the core of what Terry Fox himself imagined. He knew that just as one man he could do very little, which is why he had to create a movement that would get others involved. A dollar for every Canadian. Together, as we raise our fundraising dollars, we are contributing to an even greater goal of putting an end to cancer as we know it.

And while Dr. Goffin is optimistic about what he is seeing in terms of advancements, he still experiences the reality of cancer.

“I completed my residency 22 years ago. I now stand amazed at what the current crop of resident doctors must learn. To a modest assortment of straight up, old-school chemotherapy, we have added an ever increasing arsenal of targeted therapies and immunotherapy.  A good portion of those advancements have been funded by Terry Fox and other charitable institutions. But I have to be clear that while a minority of patients do exceptionally well, for many others these represent only incremental gains. We have much work to do.”

We have much work to do.
Every September, Burlingtonians come out to support this cause. You donate, you walk, you run, you celebrate those who have survived and honour those you have lost and you inspire others. For John, Terry himself is a source of inspiration.

“Terry Fox saw the suffering of others, including the children he saw with cancer, and he wanted to stop it. And the journey he undertook almost seems like a legend. But it was real. There is no greater inspiration I can think of.”

It’s not too late to register and join Dr. John Goffin and countless others on September 15, 2024, at Spencer Smith Park.

By Staff

August 25th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Metrolinks issued the following:

We can confirm that services on the Milton GO line and at Hamilton GO station will resume tomorrow morning. Please note that there may be some adjustments to schedules throughout the day as we work to restore normal service.

We will have additional resources available as needed in the event of any disruptions. Customers are encouraged to check gottansit.com before travelling.

By Pepper Parr

August 25th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Progressive Conservative Party president Michael Diamond sent to MPPs and riding association presidents on Wednesday looking to line up their slate for the next election — whenever it happens to be.

Natalie Pierre – is she in or out.

Sitting MPPs are feeling the pressure and being asked if they’re in or out. That tracks with what insiders previously said: that PC nominations will ramp up in the fall —  don’t be surprised if we start seeing more incumbents jump ship to make way for fresh-blooded candidates.

There are a few veterans  who may want to retire — same goes for the other parties, which are also kicking nominations into high gear.

Will this nominating activity turn into an early election call?  Has Doug Ford decided that it is better to go now and get ahead of whatever the RCMP investigations reveal?

Natalie Pierre will have to respond to the notice from the PC party president.  The Liberals will have to dig deeper than they have in the past to come up with a credible candidate.

The New Democrats have a leader who is doing a great job – can they find a local candidate who can win in Burlington?

By Tom Muir

August 25th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

It’s disturbing when I see some people who keep repeating that climate change does not matter in our latest storm events. They really don’t know what they are talking about. The science matters, so bring it to the table. 

Flood water streaming from the Cavendish Road community down onto the 407 highway.

Ontario is currently experiencing significant increases in stream and urban flooding thanks to climate change and inadequate provincial action, especially when these and other watershed-level impacts from climate change have been well known for years, and facts show that the Ontario government has known about and virtually ignored these issues for 25 years!  

Most recent projections show Ontario warming is in the range of 3 to 5 C warmer in the mid-2000s than in the 1971 – 1990 period.  Rain events are likely to become more intense, and we should prepare for greater variability of climate and occasional flood years.

 Canadian models suggest that return periods will be halved; i.e a 20 year storm will become a 10 year event. We can expect longer, more drought events, punctuated by La Nina wet weather conditions sometimes leading to flooding. We are right in the later part of that warming period, and the predicted weather is just what we have been experiencing now. 

The province has not updated their storm water design standards for 25 years. Further, they now appear to be backtracking, to support their housing growth plan, by not recognizing the reality that climate change weather is here. The City and residents have been getting financially soaked.

The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) hearings on the Millcroft golf course development made clear – developer planners do not have to design storm water design systems for the real climate flood risk world, but only for what the province will allow them, which are the old guidelines. 

We have been in a steadily warming state, and you cannot separate climate change, which is the new reality of the Earth, from how we choose to interact with how it affects us.

The recent peak rainfall  rate and duration was far in excess of the design storm average rainfall rate peak and duration.  July 15 reported 50 mm in 1 hour, and 65 to 80 mm in only 3 hours, with much more later on July 15 into July 16. 

In a recent Gazette four  part series, David Barker points to record rainfalls at Pearson and Mississauga – of almost 100 mm on July 16 and 122.9 on July 15.

Toronto Star report on the damage and loss of life from Hurricane Hazel in 1954

 If the 100 year Hurricane Hazel (1954) event, that too many use to wrongly excuse climate change as not bad enough, is 200 mm in 24 hours, this recent three  hour storm intensity is far in excess – 6.6 times – of any practical design capacity. 

The flooding consequences and the locations, raise questions about the adequacy of in place excess volume and discharge controls, to see how the design storm water management actually constructed reduced the peak runoff, and lengthened the time of concentration, to an adequate design to reduce the post development runoff conditions to the pre development levels. 

 As a specific location of flooding consequences, the 407 is a location with a physical construct and urban context particularly at risk of extreme flooding events, such as this one.  

 More generally, the City is intent on rapid development in many places, building high density, with an intensification commitment to a large number of high rise condos and other housing forms. Storm water drivers include: the development catchment imperviousness; development driven increase in impervious surface; natural retention loss; and groundwater level impacts. 

Concerns of Council, and the City as a whole, are the very large cost of getting the risk and flood damage costs in control. The Provincial control standards are not adequate and need updating and changing.

Since the July storm extremes are attributed to climate change, and are a signature event of such, of note that the atmosphere can hold 8% more moisture for every 1 degree C increase in temperature. The City says it is an emergency, but I see nothing in effective policy to seriously face this.

So to get to my point here, was the 407 storm water management designed and constructed adequately to control the July 15/16 storm intensity, duration, and amount featured by the direct rainfall onto the 407 large highly impervious catchment surface of asphalt and concrete with (runoff coefficients (85% – 95%), and steep soil side berm slopes (15-20%). 

It is good engineering practice to modify these hydrology and hydrograph designs to adjust to deviations from typical rainfall excesses, intensities, duration, increase in percent of impervious surface, and other means. The City is entirely capable of doing all of this. 

However, I get the impression that the City thinks it can’t afford to do it, and I see no visible efforts on the part of the City to go after private owners, the 407, and the Province to fully scope the details of the inadequate state of their storm water design standards to get with the reality of climate.

Is this enough?

Further, what is the City doing in general to face the reality of the storm water infrastructure, and existing combined sewers that contributed so much damage with this latest storm. And the need to review the general engineering practice – what is “standard practice”- and is it enough? 

Given the accelerated development intensification plans in a climate change state, that just showed some small sample of what that means, this seems essential. 

Somebody responsible needs to do this engineering and policy work.

 Tom Muir is an Aldershot resident and former federal government researcher..

By Pepper Parr

August 23, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The Toronto Star has report that:

Rail workers pushed back hard Friday against the federal government’s move to get them back on the job, with a new strike notice and a regulatory challenge making it unclear when freight traffic will fully resume.

At Canadian National Railway Co., trains began to move again Friday morning as workers started to trickle back to work — even as the Teamsters union issued a 72-hour strike notice against CN shortly before 10 a.m. EDT.

And at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd., the union has challenged a directive for binding arbitration issued by Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to the country’s labour board.

Metrolinks reported that the 10,000 people who use the Milton GO service were stranded – Metrolinks understood rail service would be continued.  It wasn’t.

A work stoppage at both national railways prompted MacKinnon to ask the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Thursday to use the mechanism, aimed at resolving an impasse that has halted freight shipments and snarled commuter lines across the country.

The labour board summoned the parties to a meeting Thursday night, followed by a hearing Friday morning.

The tribunal said in an email it is addressing the issue “with utmost urgency.” A decision is expected later in the day.

Rail yards are filling up – getting the rolling stock to the point where they can get to their destinations takes time – a lot of time.

Francois Laporte, the national president of Teamsters Canada and Sean O’Brien, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters arrived at picket lines in a black semi truck, its horns blaring, with Teamsters written on the side.

O’Brien called the lockouts by both rail companies “a disgrace.”  “This is not over. I’m telling you this is not over. The struggle continues,” Laporte said to about 70 people who were on hand.

At a Thursday news conference, MacKinnon said the government is “committed totally to collective bargaining,” but said the impacts of the shutdown are being felt by all Canadians.

The government gave the negotiations “every possible opportunity to succeed,” he said.

Each side had accused the other of failing to negotiate seriously, with wages and scheduling as key sticking points. The union had said it rejected binding arbitration, framing Ottawa’s decision as a move to “sidestep” it.

“Despite claiming to value and honour the collective bargaining process, the federal government quickly used its authority to suspend it, mere hours after an employer-imposed work stoppage,” said Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, in a release Thursday evening.

Teamsters on strike watch a train at a railway crossing. This strike is now out of control.

The union has said both companies are pushing to weaken protections around rest periods and scheduling. It says CN also seeks a scheme that would see some employees move to far-flung locations for several months at a time to fill labour gaps.

CN pushed back on Friday, saying the Teamsters are “holding Canada hostage to their demands.”

“CN is focused on recovery in order to resume powering the economy. The Teamsters are focused on returning to the pickets and shutting everything down again,” said spokesman Jonathan Abecassis in a phone interview.

In Calgary, Laporte said he understood that the Teamsters at CN gave 72 hours strike notice this morning and as far as he’s concerned the dispute will continue.

“Our people are still on strike. We’re still on the streets so our operation will not resume. It is not going to be business as usual for both companies.”

O’Brien said the International Teamsters fully support their Canadian colleagues.

“Corporate greed is running rampant,” he told reporters at a picket outside CPKC headquarters in Calgary on Friday morning. “Reward these workers with what they have earned. But also don’t try to diminish safety.”

“What’s important here is not to lose sight of the fact of who caused this problem right now. They chose to lock these workers out,” O’Brien said.

“We got your backs 100 per cent.”

By Staff

August 23, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

The Ultimate Art Bash that was reported as a great success the first time it was held was enough to convince the folks that run the show at the Art Galley are going to do it again – but this time it will be different – how different – the reveal of the REVEL will be explained in mailings for those who register.

‘unique, transformative and vivacious’

The REVEL  is back Friday, November 8 with its unique blend of transformative and vivacious elements. From one-night-only site-specific art installations to vibrant music, a provocative ambiance, three distinct cocktail bars, and cuisine by some of Burlington’s top chefs, this is an experience like no other.

You don’t want to miss this ambitious fundraising initiative that generates vital funds for exhibitions and public programs at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Tickets go on sale soon – watch your inbox and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to get the latest announcements.

Send a note to:  info@agb.life  and ask to have your name put on their mailing list.  Or keep up to date on what is happening in Burlington – read the Gazette – www.burlingtongazette.ca