 By Staff
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
On Monday, August 5, 128 select Beer Store Retail locations across the Province will be open for business from 11am-6pm. The list of select stores is below.
 The 128 stores open August 5 include dozens now offering Skip The Dishes, Instacart and/or Uber Eats, where customers can have their favourite Beer Store products delivered to them on demand. Our commitment is to better service Ontarians with more value, cold beer, and more convenience with online shopping. The Beer Store’s extended hours of sale for the summer months vary at select stores. Visit https://www.thebeerstore.ca/locations/ to find specific local store hours.
 Two Burlington locations
About The Beer Store
Owned by Ontario-based brewers, The Beer Store is the largest beer retailer in Ontario. The Beer Store listed 1,107 brands, which more than 267 brewers provided in 2023. With 26 points of distribution strategically located across the province, The Beer Store proudly distributed 2.9 million hectoliters of beer in 2023.
The Beer Store claims they are also one of the greenest retailers in the world, annually collecting for reuse and recycling approximately 1.7 billion beverage alcohol containers, including beer, wine and spirits. The Beer Store employs 6500 Ontarians with well-paying full and part-time jobs.
By Staff
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Pulling in the dollars that are needed to provide food that is distributed for those who need help is a full time task for the food banks in the Region
 Big cheque will go a long way to keep the flow of fresh food getting to people who need help. Food for Life was given $33,333,000 by all Allstate Canada, the insurance provider. The grant will help Food for Life rescue more than $100,000 worth of good surplus food to serve the Hamilton and Halton regions.
Food for Life for supported the Allstate vision for everyone to have access to healthy food.
There are 565 Food for Life volunteers who show up regularly to pack the food that comes in into packages that are distributed to the more than 4000 people who are served each week
There are an additional 200 people in the community who volunteer in different ways.
Those are impressive number and well worth celebrating.
Related news story:
 By Staff
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Speaking to Cavendish Drive residents Mayor Meed Ward makes mention of residents who have had to be evacuated and cannot live in their homes right now. “My heart goes out to everyone experiencing this situation.”
 An aerial view of the Cavendish Drive flooding. When water was not able to flow through the culverts because several of them were blocked, the water backed up into the community.
“My commitment is to do my best to get you the answers to the questions you asked us, to find out what happened and make sure it never happens again.
“ We are in regular contact with Highway 407 ETR staff to share information and updates on the progress of the work. Our emergency staff have advised that 407 ETR staff are on site and will be working overnight to relieve the remaining flooding in the area by cleaning debris.
“A special thank you to Hassaan Basit, Chief Administrative Officer, Enrico Scalera, Acting Commissioner, Public Works, Cary Clark, Manager, Development & Stormwater Engineering, and Councillor Nisan for stopping by and answering questions from the community. Your presence and expertise are invaluable during this challenging time.
“The City is sharing updates twice a day and I will share that information as soon as possible. You can also reach out to me directly to share your concerns at Mayor@burlington.ca ”
We don’t know if any mention was made about the four to six weeks the city needs to process a cheque for $1000 to help those people who cannot live in their homes. That length of time is unconscionable.
 By Staff
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is working to make the city and living in Burlington more environmentally sustainable and climate resilient through both policy and action.
Better Homes Burlington
After a successful pilot program in 2023, the Better Homes Burlington program is now available to help homeowners find and understand options, available incentives and help with the cost of doing home energy upgrades to improve energy efficiency.
Homeowners can connect with City staff who will assist in finding potential green energy rebates, incentives and grants from businesses and different levels of government. Homeowners can also apply for a limited number of interest-free loans from the City of Burlington for up to $10,000 for the purchase and installation of an air-source heat pump.
To connect with City staff or learn more about funding, visit burlington.ca/betterhomes or email betterhomes@burlington.ca.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Added
Four new electric vehicle charging stations are being installed in the city, making it more convenient for EV drivers to get around. They are expected to be complete and ready for use by the end of 2024.
This will bring the total number of publicly available charging stations to 38 and charging ports to 75.
Locations of new EV charging stations
- LOT 5b – 391 Brant St. Level 3 fast charger
- LOT 8 – 523 Locust St. (Locust Street and Caroline Street)
- Beachway Park, 1100 Lakeshore Rd., near BurlingtonGreen Eco Hub
- Brant Hills Community Centre, 2255 Brant St.
Electric vehicle charging in public parking lots is free although standard parking fees apply where applicable.
For a list of all electric vehicle charging stations, visit Burlington.ca/ev.
Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan
The City of Burlington has a target for City operations to be net carbon neutral by 2040 to show leadership in addressing its significant energy and environmental impacts. Council has approved the updated Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan to provide a pathway to achieve the 2040 target.
 Mehdizadehjafari’s artwork, Soar installed in front of the new pavilion at City View Park. City staff are assessing the feasibility of deep energy retrofits of City facilities. Four studies have been completed and another four are underway. City View Park Pavilion is the City’s first building designed to be a net-carbon neutral building with solar panels. Skyway Community Centre is under construction and will include the first low-carbon arena in the City. A low carbon pathway has also been adopted to transform the Robert Bateman High school into a new climate friendly community centre. And in June, the solar panels at Fire Station 5 in Kilbride were operational (offsetting slightly more than 100 per cent of the building’s electricity usage allowing for future electrification of the heating system).
For more information on the City’s climate action initiatives, visit Burlington.ca/climatechange.
 Lynn Robichaud, Manager, Environmental Sustainability Lynn Robichaud, Manager, Environmental Sustainability put it this way:”The Better Homes Burlington program, EV charging stations, and the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan all support climate action in our community. We’re working to reduce our carbon footprint while preparing ourselves for the warmer, wetter, wilder effects of climate change.”
Links and Resources
www.burlington.ca/betterhomes
www.burlington.ca/environment
www.burlington.ca/ev
www.burlington.ca/climatechange
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 By Staff
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The headline reads:
Heritage Burlington invites you to celebrate Burlington’s rich and unique heritage during Heritage Week, Aug. 3–10, 2024.
 It’s mid summer and August is approaching and of course that means Heritage work here in Burlington. It is from August 3rd to August 10.
All events are free. Events that require registration will be open for registration from July 15 to 31 or until capacity is reached.
 As part of Heritage week Don Thorpe and David Craig will be presenting a Trivia Night at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre on August 8 at 7 PM.
With all new questions, join Don Thorpe, Burlington Historical Society and David Craig, History Pix, for a fun evening of trivia about Burlington’s past and the characters that made it. Be ready to be surprised and definitely to enjoy your time as you decide whether to go with your first answer or your second answer.
Come by yourself or with friends, come for fun or just to learn. Maximum of 160 participants. Registration required.
If you prefer not to register online, send me an email (David Craig – Historypix@iCloud.com ) and I will register for you.
It is a big program – plenty to take part in. The Alton community got missed and large swath of the residential areas either side of Upper Middle Road has somew interesting features. Golf courses got missed – and – there is a story to be told about the building of New Street.
Kudos however for the historical crowd for making this happen.
 By Joseph A. Gaetan
July 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Taxation is a term for when a taxing authority, i.e. government, levies or imposes a financial obligation on its citizens or residents. Following is a “birds eye view” of taxation in Canada today.
Federal, Provincial and Municipal Taxation:
It is important to recognize that the real and true purpose of taxation is to pay for things the citizens cannot practically do on their own. For example none of us are going to pave a road or build a rail line between Burlington and another city or Province. We are also not going to build an airport of the type and scale that you see at Toronto Pearson or John C. Monroe in Hamilton. Nor are we going to build arenas or swimming pools or the like. There is a place for taxation.
We should all remember that governments at all levels have the ability to pad the tab to pay for things that are “likes” (i.e. $200,000 for Civic Square art). These expenditures come in the form of vanity projects or cynically can be used to bribe us with our own money so they can win the next election. In the run up to most elections, governments often fall all over themselves spending as much as they can of our money to ensure that we will feel good about them and cast our votes in their favour.
FOMO:
Council will often justify a project like Civic Square, well, because other governments are giving us a bag of money for the project and if we don’t take this free cash we will be “FOMO’d”.
“FOMO, or the fear of missing out, has become all-too prevalent over the last couple of decades. It’s an experience that many of us are familiar with. And while it’s directly related to our self-esteem and self-worth, it also has a direct effect on our physical, mental and emotional health. And how could it not? When everyone else around you is having fun without you, what can you do to feel good about where you’re at and what you’re doing on your own? Source: The Psychology Behind FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) (clevelandclinic.org) The document is referred to as Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
How we paid for: Civic Square, Freeman Station and Joe Brant Museum:
 City Hall isn’t facing a wave of popular support on this one. Civic Square:
Here is how your tripartite taxation dollars, actually your money, will be paying or investing in the Civic Square Renewal.
“The Government of Canada is investing over $1.9 million in this project through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan.
The Government of Ontario is providing more than $1.6 million,
while the City of Burlington is investing over $1.3 million”.
Source: Civic Square Renewal Update – Burlington Downtown
Joseph Brant Museum Renewal Project:
 The Brant Museum – not all that much about Joseph Brant in the building. Here is how tripartite taxation, you actually, paid for the renewal.
“Federal Cultural Spaces Grant: $ 4.479 million, Provincial Trillium Grant: $ 500,000, Joseph Brant Museum Foundation: $ 2.479 million, City of Burlington: $ 3.978 million (up from $2.1 million)
TOTAL: $11.437 million”
Note: The COB, Federal and Provincial portions is actually our tax money. Many thanks to the contribution of $2.479 million from The Museum Foundation.
Source: The renovation and rebuild of the Joseph Brant Museum just might be doomed. « Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community
Freeman Station:
 Fully paid for – but not open. “A city engineer actually told a Standing Committee that it couldn’t be saved. That didn’t deter a group of die-hards who were not prepared to let the station get reduced to kindling.” Source: Burlington Gazette It almost didn’t happen but Burlington citizens saved the Freeman station from destruction, The restoration can now begin. « Burlington Gazette – Local News, Politics, Community
And what the volunteer, Friends of Freeman Station (FOFS) did without much financial help from the Tripartite Taxation folks, is nothing short of amazing.
So there you have it folks, a quick primer on Tripartite Taxation and a lesson on what can be done without it.
 Joe Gaetan is a Burlington resident who delegates on occasion and is a strong believer in holding the elected accountable and expects them to be transparent while serving the public.
 By Staff
July 28th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – there is at least one member of Council communicating with her residents on flooding problems and what is avaialable in the way of support.
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna sent the following to her constituents:
Over the past two days, we have entered into Emergency Management Stage 1 – Routine Monitoring. We understand that residents are still dealing with the aftermath and the challenges it brings. We want to let you know that recent information on city relief has been released to support you during this time.
City of Burlington Flood Relief Grant ($1,000)
You may qualify for financial assistance from The City of Burlington to help with residential flooding-related costs if the following criteria are met:
• A flooding event in your residential dwelling occurred in connection to the
 July 15 or July 16, 2024 weather event and was reported by you to 311;
• You are the owner or tenant of the residence;
• A representative of the Regional Municipality of Halton investigated the complaint and determined that:
▪ water damage occurred within a residential home due to the July 15 or July 16, 2024 extreme weather event; and
▪ The water damage was not the result of:
a blockage on any part of the wastewater system; or wastewater backup as a result of a sewer surcharge; and,
*The application for the Region of Halton Ex-Gratia Grant for Public Sewer Backup was denied for the property; and,
no outstanding orders were issued by the City of Burlington to remedy any violations of the Grading and Drainage By-law No. 052-2018, as amended, the Drainage By-law No. 017-2018, as amended, or the Site Alteration By-law No. 062-2014, as amended.City of Burlington’s Flood Relief Grant ($1,000) can help residents to either offset the cost of an insurance deductible or help with flooding-related costs that are not otherwise covered under their home insurance policy.
Due to high volumes, payments under this program may take 4-6 weeks to be processed after applications have been received.
Four to six weeks is unconscionable; there are a reported less than 700 homes damaged.
Remember:To be eligible for the Flood Relief Grant, you must immediately report the flooding to Halton Region. Halton Region Public Works staff will contact you regarding next steps.
Factors that may make you ineligible for the City of Burlington Flood Grant:
• applicants who are not registered owners or tenants of the property; and
• properties other than residential dwellings; and
• damages that are not within the residential home (e.g. water damage to landscaping, pool, deck).
 By Pepper Parr
July 27th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
Was the tweet Mayor Meed Ward sent out yesterday a sign that she has realized many (the vocal ones that tend to speak up) don’t want what the public is now going to get, like it or not?
Members of Council all realize that this project is one that they are going to have to wear in the months leading up to the 2026 municipal election.
If it turns out to be something that people like – they will applaud and be pleased. If it turns out to be a clunker and gets a thumbs down – every one of them could be looking at the end of their municipal careers.
 Those trees look great – but that is not what will be in place the day they cut the ribbon to open a several million dollar upgrade to Civic Square. When the city has added 29,000 new housing units in 2051 – the public might see what is in the renderings. Upper right is what Civic Square looks like today. The problem is that there is really no one to take their place.
Meed Ward said in her tweet that: “Last week, Council received an update from staff regarding next steps on the Civic Square renewal project. We’re nearing the completion of the design work; however, Council has asked staff to report back in September so that Council and the community can get a better understanding of the design.
“We look forward to learning more about this in the fall and sharing further updates with the community.”
What’s to share? The decision has been made, the funds needed have been allocated and the design teams and doing what they do. Learning that $200,000 was going to be spent on public art was a bit of a surprise but you can’t have a refurbished Civic Square without some art. Would that include a Pride Pole?
The people that push back know that if you push long enough those that should be hearing will eventually get the message. Sometimes they will actually change – other than that – they throw out some crumbs.
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
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
What took them so long?
The Gazette has permitted comments from readers since the day we first published back in October of 2010.
We have an at times very robust comments section. We also have people that tend to go on and on about an issue they seem to be the only ones that care.
Then we get those people who don’t have the courage of their convictions who send in a comment from an address that doesn’t exist; the comments are usually in the scurrilous vein.
We also get some very pointed comments from people who work from the facts they are able to lay out; that’s when opposing views and opinions on the facts get very interesting.
 A note sent out by We need a good reason to not publish a comment. Many Gazette readers take great exception to Mayor Meed Wards’ practice of not publishing comments that are critical.
 By Staff
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Pride pole at Lakeshore and Burlington Street. Photo op will take place soon. The city has moved from Rainbow benches and crosswalks to Pride Poles. This one has been installed at Lakeshore Road and Burlington Street.
They will certainly be cheaper than the cross walks that didn’t wear all that well.
Is it going to be one per ward with the Council member deciding where they will be located?
Which budget will the cost come out of?
Is there a point at which fully recognizing the 2SLGBTQ+ (an acronym for: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and additional sexual orientations and gender identities) has been met?
I’d like to see something more effective on the intimate partner relationship violence.
By Pepper Parr
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The idea wasn’t to create an event that would become annual. “All we wanted to do was encourage neighbours to help us collect some food and money that could be sent to the Burlington Food Bank. We asked the Food Bank to send us one bin – we ended up filling four bins: 1000 pounds of food and $3000 in cash.”
Daryl Fowler had drafted a bunch of friends who, like him, were small business entrepreneurs who donated and helped make the event work. “They knew how to put things together. Fowler operates FlasheGas, an independent HVAC operation.
“We found that we needed to ask our neighbours if we could use their drive ways.”
 Wearing an ear to ear smile Daryl Fowler with his wife Hannah stand behind four of the six bins that were filled at their first food drive event. This year the event looks like it will be bigger. Takes place on Sunday August 4th – running from noon to 4:00 pm.
Ice cream, bouncing platforms; the first one we booked didn’t work out and we had to scramble to get another operator in place.
 Tyler Fergus answering the question: Where did that rabbit come from? Face painting, a balloon artist and a magician will be part of the event. Tyler Fergus will be dazzling the kids with his magic performances.
There will be a draw for a BBQ donated by Canadian Tire.
When we were deciding when to hold the event we learned from Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank that August was a tough month – “people are away explained Bailey and the volunteers don’t have all that much they can do. “So August it was” said Fowler who is supported by his wife Hanna and their three children.
What happens if it rains? Don’t ask
 By Staff
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte
Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte has put together a notice to her resident on where things stand in terms of getting financial support.
Not much good news – but kudos to Stolte for being consistent in reaching out to the people in her ward.
From her notice:
Please find below the current application process for Flooding Relief Grants:
• Residents must contact 311 to report indoor flooding
• Halton Region Public Works staff will attend the home to investigate the cause of the flooding and determine if the homeowner qualifies for a Halton Region Ex-Gratia Grant
o If yes, homeowner will receive an application for the Halton Region Ex-Gratia Grant to submit to Halton. Payments will be issued within 4-6 weeks.
o If no, as long as there is some indication of indoor flooding having occurred, the Public Works Technician will give the homeowner the New City of Burlington Ex-Gratia Grant application to submit to the City of Burlington. If eligible, payments will be issued within 4-6 weeks.
Four to six weeks? The 407ETR people were on site with funds for residents the day after the rain stopped.
o Note: Legal is still finalizing the City’s application form and eligibility criteria. Once ready, they will share with Halton Public Works who will hand out to impacted residents upon inspection. Residents who are receiving an inspection today or who have already received an inspection will be directed to contact Service Burlington for assistance. We are maintaining a list during the interim and sharing with legal who will contact these folks once the application is available.
Still finalizing? For those people still sorting through what is salvageable from their flooded basements “still finalizing” just isn’t good enough. Genuine service would be – no one goes home until these documents are done and ready to be sent out.
Information on the grants and flood prevention is available on our website @ Burlington.ca/flood however direction on the application process is not.
 By Staff
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Getting a Municipal Zoning Order (MZ0) from the Minister of Housing is going to be a challenge.
A request had been made for an MZO before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) had decided that the Millcroft golf course lands could be developed and 90 high end houses be constructed with a significant number of conditions. Had the provincial government had any intention of issuing an MZO; that would have been the time to do so.
 This time around MPP Triantafilopoulos is supporting the request. Last time it was Mayor Meed Ward and Regional Chair Gary Carr – in the world of political clout an MPP trumps a Mayor and a Regional Chair
Triantafilopoulos is asking that MAD share the letter see sent to the Province requesting that they step in to stop the Millcroft Greens development.
Burlington passed a Motion requesting Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issue a Ministerial Zoning Order to maintain the zoning permissions for Areas A to D of the proposed development of the Millcroft Golf Course as they existed prior to the June 12, 2024 OLT decision.
 Triantafilopoulos: MPP for Oakville North Burlington Triantafilopoulos said to the MAD membership: “As you know, I stand with Council in their opposition to this development as currently planned. Following the passing of Council’s Motion, I sent a letter (including a copy of the Motion) to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing requesting that he explore all tools at his disposal to stop the development from proceeding.”
Expecting a decision is a stretch – watching for something to be announced during the summer would be a pipe dream.
Triantafilopoulos is looking for 10,000 signatures on a petition. They have a reported 7000 signatures.
There are two options to do this which are as follows:
- Option 1 – Quick and Easy
o Go to our website and fill in your name and email and an email will be sent to the province on your behalf. Select the link below.
 Option 1 – Quick and Easy
- Option 2 – Write your own Email
o Send an email to:
doug.fordco@pc.ola.org,
Doug.Downey@pc.ola.org,
effie.triantafilopoulos@pc.ola.org,
Effie.triantafilopoulosco@pc.ola.org
Paul.Calandra@pc.ola.org,
Natalie.Pierre@pc.ola.org,
zee.hamid@pc.ola.org,
andrea.khanjin@pc.ola.org,
Matthew.Rae@pc.ola.org,
natalie@nataliepierrempp.ca,
navita@nataliepierrempp.ca,
Katie.Robinette@ontario.ca,
Premier@ontario.ca,
attorneygeneral@ontario.ca
stephen.crawford@pc.ola.org
MAD and the City have also requested that their local MPP’s Effie Triantafilopoulos, Natalie Pierre, Zee Hamid and Stephen Crawford each send a separate letter in support of the issuing of an MZO to the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs and to the Premier.
They are communicating with other like minded groups from all over Ontario, which want to save greenspace, asking them to participate in the email campaign and to circulate our Email letter to the Province among their supporters. We ask anyone who would like to join our fight to please contact the Admin team at admin@millcroftagainstdevelopment.ca. We are looking for local real estate agents, environmental groups, to share our email campaign with their database.
By Pepper Parr
July 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The demand for housing and a target of 29,000 units by 2031 in place created an opportunity for the developer to increase the height was something that couldn’t be resisted. The change should not surprise anyone. When the development started the northern end of the property was to have a six to eight story structure.
 28-storey mixed use building with 302 residential units At this point the development application has been submitted:
Development applications have been submitted for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment for a 28-storey mixed use building with 302 residential units and a 6-storey above grade parking structure with a green roof adjacent to an existing 17-storey residential building bounded by Caroline Street, Elizabeth Street, Maria Street, and John Street.
There was a Pre-Application Community Meeting on April 9, 2024 in the evening. It was a virtual meeting. No word on how any people took part.
The north tower was originally going to be six stories (could have been eight – it was sometime ago) with medical offices making up a large part of the space.
By Pepper Parr
July 25th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Her name is Crystal – we don’t have a last name.
She is believed to live in the Cavendish Road area.
At the time these pictures were taken she was living in a motel with her family. The space was made available to her by the Red Cross.
  
Crystal was attending a Special Meeting of Council unaware that she had the right to delegate.
She didn’t have a computer she could use at the motel. Other than the clothes on her back and what she could gather up – Crystal had a crisis on her hands.
She has been in touch with another person who delegated.
The Gazette would love to talk to this woman: 905-462-1948
Ann Marsden, a woman who delegates to Council frequently is asking people whose homes were damaged by the July 15th flood to delegate at the Council meeting on August 7th and asking that they be given ten minutes to tell their story and ask questions.
Marsden feels very strongly that even at this date members of Council are not fully aware of what people are going through.
By Staff
July 25th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Build A Bowl/Friday Night Clay Date
This could be fun!
Thursday, August 1 and Friday, August 9
Art Gallery invites you to join them at their next Build A Bowl – Friday Night Clay Date. These beginner-friendly workshops offer a gentle hands-on introduction to pottery and make for a fun night out at the AGB –
Sign up for our next Build A Bowl on Thursday August 1, or join us for Friday Night Clay Date on August 9!
 Beginner-friendly workshop AGE: Adult
DAY: Friday
TIME: 6:30 – 9:30 pm
MEMBER COST: $60
NON-MEMBER COST: $65
INSTRUCTOR: Michelle Lynn
LOCATION: Onsite
Register HERE
By Staff
July 25th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The following came to us from a law firm that is one of the top five in the country:
On January 24, 2024, Kelby Carter and Alana Scotchmer of our Financial Services Group wrote about the federal government’s overhaul of the Criminal Code‘s criminal interest rate provisions. They noted that as part of the 2023 budget the federal government proposed several sweeping changes to the criminal interest rate rules, including:
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- Changing from an effective annual rate (EAR) to an annual percentage rate (APR) method of calculating criminal interest.
- Lowering the criminal interest rate from 45 percent APR (60 percent on an EAR basis) to 35 per cent APR.
- Capping the cost of payday loans (defined as “an advancement of money in exchange for a post-dated cheque, a pre-authorized debit or a future payment of a similar nature”) at $14 per $100 borrowed.
- Introducing several exemptions for commercial loans over $10,000.00 and for pawn loans.
The federal government proposed that these changes would take effect through a change to the wording of the Criminal Code itself, as well as through a new set of regulations called the Criminal Interest Rate Regulations. However, the federal government had not previously announced when these changes would come into force.
Announcement of effective date for rules
 As part of its 2024 budget, the federal government announced its intention to push forward with implementing the proposed changes to the Criminal Code’s criminal interest rate provisions. Accordingly, after a period of regulatory review and consultation the federal government has announced that the criminal interest rate changes will come into effect on January 1, 2025.
We expect that these measures will reduce uncertainty for lenders and increase access to more flexible loan structures for commercial borrowers (borrowers other than natural persons). Commercial borrowers and lenders will now be able to structure loans with up to a 48 per cent APR interest rate for loans between $10,000 and $500,000.00. Further, commercial loans over $500,000.00 will be able to be structured with no cap on the interest rate, allowing for more flexibility for commercial borrowers who may present a more difficult credit risk.
Budget 2024: Further efforts
Though the changes introduced in 2023 and coming into force in 2025 represent the Liberal government’s main efforts to adjust the criminal interest rate provisions of the Criminal Code, the government is not done with this topic yet. As part of its 2024 budget, the government announced further changes to the Code’s criminal interest rate provisions. In particular, the government has introduced the following material changes:
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- A new offence of “entering, offering to enter, or advertising an offer to enter” an agreement that provides for the receipt of interest at the criminal rate.
- The government has repealed section 347(7) of the Code, which required the attorney general to consent to any prosecution in respect of criminal interest rates.
- New definitions for “interest” and “credit advanced,” which incorporate language to capture the new “entering, offering to enter, or advertising an offer to enter” offence.
The federal government passed its 2024 budget on June 20, 2024. However, these changes will come into force on a date to be fixed by cabinet.
In its promotional materials for the budget the government described these changes as “empowering law enforcement” to “protect vulnerable Canadians from harmful illegal lenders.” The materials also note that the federal government intends to work with the provinces to consider other methods of fighting predatory lending, such as enhancing transparency, disclosure, and marketing practices for payday loans.
Lenders and borrowers will need to keep an eye out to watch for the effective date of the new “entering, offering to enter, or advertising an offer to enter” offence, and can expect that the federal and provincial governments will make more changes to interest rate and lending regulations in the future.
Summary
January 1, 2025 is the date the new changes to the criminal interest rate provisions of the Criminal Code come into force. Accordingly, lenders and borrowers of all stripes should be proactive in adjusting their documentation and policies to account for the new changes. Our team of financial services and lending professionals is ready to help with any questions you may have about the new changes and how they may affect your lending and borrowing practices.
By Staff
July 25th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is starting its New Zoning Bylaw Project that will make it easier for residents planning home renovations, developers building new homes and businesses looking to open in Burlington. This updated zoning bylaw will:
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 be easy to use;- reflect modern zoning practices;
- streamline development review and approvals; and
- implement the objectives and policies of the new Official Plan (Burlington Official Plan, 2020).
This project will create a new Zoning Bylaw that will provide an updated set of rules for land use planning and development across Burlington.
Burlington’s new Zoning Bylaw will be done in phases. Phase 1 will focus on supporting more housing options in Burlington neighbourhoods. Residents are invited to take a quick survey until Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
Phase 1 – Residential Zones is part of an ongoing conversation about Burlington’s community housing needs and will support:
- Housing Strategy actions,
- Council’s direction to implement four units as-of-right and
- The Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan
The City’s Official Plan Amendment to Increase Housing Options is being worked on at the same time as the New Zoning Bylaw Project and will inform Phase 1 – Residential Zones. It will focus on using planning tools including the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw. These new policies and regulations will benefit current and future residents and get us closer to the vision for housing in Burlington.
City Council passed a resolution:
be it resolved that; Burlington City Council declare its intention to allow four units as-of-right
Staff was directed to engage with the community to implement four units as-of-right and the other actions identified in the Housing Strategy including implementing opportunities to increase the range of housing options available.
By Pepper Parr
July 24th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON.
I have written extensively on the difficulty in getting information from the politicians, City Hall and the Regional governments to keep the public informed.
We were aware of a report that listed the names of streets on which houses were flooded and the number of homes that were flooded; not the address of the homes – just the number of homes on the street.
The data in the report came from the information the Region collected through their 311 service.
The data wasn’t providing the actual address of the homes – just the number of homes on each street.
Over a period of five days we bantered back and forth with the Regional media people.
We managed to get some of the information from material ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman had sent out to his constituents (but not the Gazette) which had most of the information we were looking for.
Hours after publishing that data we got the following from the Region.
“Neighbourhoods who have been impacted by the recent floods continue to recover, and out of respect for their situations right now, we are not sharing impacted street information at this time.”
What a piece of crap: And we rely on these people to keep us fully informed?
Statements like this get approved at a higher level which at the Region would probably mean Jane McCaskill, the Chief Administration Officer . The decision not to make the data available might be for liability reasons – lawyers would want that information
Related news stories:
Withholding data.
Flooding very heavy in ward 3
By Pepper Parr
July 24th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Bromley Road resident Heather A send us an email asking why we were not publishing the notices sent out by all the Members of City Council
We had published much of what Councillor Kearns sent out because it had the most useful information.
Except for Councillor Stolte – we didn’t see anything from the other members of Council.
Mayor Meed Ward has forgotten we exist – except for the occasion she wanted to file a complaint and then she spent hours writing out an 11 page document that wasn’t submitted on time and was filled with errors. A graduate of Carleton University where she studied journalism and describes herself as a journalist who put forward a Motion at City Council affirming the rights of media – Meed Ward doesn’t walk her talk.
Heather sent us a list of the emails that were sent out by each Council member saying: “I am on the mailing list for all Councillors and the Mayor. Perhaps you would be interested in the newsletters sent out since July 15, 2024:
Shawna Stolte July 15 at 4:32pm
Paul Sharman July 16 at 5:11 am
 Councillor Kearns is the best Councillor at keeping people informed; Councillor Sharman is a little iffy at times.  Mayor July 16 at 5:02 pm
Paul Sharman July 16 at 6:04 pm
Paul Sharman July 17 at 2:00 pm
Lisa Kearns July 18 at 11:43 am
Paul Sharman July 18 at 12:09 pm
Shawna Stolte July 18 at 2.07
Nothing on this list from Galbraith, Nisan or Bentivegna.
We sent our email address to every member of Council, including the Mayor. Sometimes we get something – more often what the public gets doesn’t seem to get to us.
Material from Kearns, Stolte and sometimes Sharman do get through. We’ve not seen anything from Galbraith, Nisan and Bentivegna.
Somebody somewhere is playing with the names on the list. The most recent issue was the notice Stephen White got from Councillor Sharman – we didn’t get that. Link to that story is HERE. When we published that story we were not aware that Sharman did not include the Gazette in the list of people he distributed the information to.
 That the members of the current council feel they can get away with this is intolerable. They seem to have taken the view that shooting the messenger will work for them – that if the Gazette doesn’t know they, the municipal politicians, are safe.
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By Staff
The 128 stores open August 5 include dozens now offering Skip The Dishes, Instacart and/or Uber Eats, where customers can have their favourite Beer Store products delivered to them on demand. Our commitment is to better service Ontarians with more value, cold beer, and more convenience with online shopping. The Beer Store’s extended hours of sale for the summer months vary at select stores. Visit https://www.thebeerstore.ca/locations/ to find specific local store hours.
