By Pepper Parr

July 19^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

So what happened and why did it happen?

And where was the damage worst?

The data to this point is that 680 homes were flooded – that is not a final figure.  The Mayor said her house had four inches of water in the basement but that she yet to report the damage.

In 2014 when the city was flooded there were more than 3000 homes flooded.

The graphic shows where most of the damage took place.  That data came from the Region and as you can see most of the homes were in ward 3.

Hwy 407 ETR cuts through the ward.

It was block at an 8 foot pipe that got blocked that cause the water to back up and flood streets in the Cavendish area

The water was running through West Rambo Creek where it was collected at a culvert. The grating got blocked causing the water to back up into the neighbourhood. The yellow line is the 8 foot pipe that take the water beneath the 407.

Crate that was blocked resulting in a backup of the flood waters in the Cavendish Drive community.

Council, to its credit, did a very good job of take the required action to keep people informed and to get on with the clean up.

Much more on this story.

By Pepper Parr

July 18^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

There is a phrase that we  hear often at City Council meetings: “It has been a learning experience” when something went wrong and no one takes responsibility.  We see this as really lax discipline and a classic case of failure on the part of both Staff and Council to be held accountable.

We were fortunate as a city , if such a thing can be said, that there was some provincial funding paid out to homeowners who had to make major repairs to their basements in 2014.

There were reports produced and they got that “Receive and File” status.

We knew in 2014 that creeks got clogged with fallen tree limbs and branches that had accumulated in the often dry empty creeks bottoms.

We didn’t expect 150 to 200 mm of rain in a six hour period.

When that rain came rushing through the creeks the tree limbs and branches were shoved along creeks that could not handle the volume and the clutter jammed and forced water out on the streets and into the basements of hundreds of homes.

We didn’t see that August 2014 rain coming.  The words climate change were not yet part of our vernacular.

But we know that now, we have known that for some time.  Where were the people who are very well paid to do constant risk analysis on every city program?

There were few unknowns after the 2014 flood.  The only thing we didn’t know was – when would the next heavy rain storm come?

City Council made a big hairy deal over declaring a Climate Change Emergency. Burlington is very good at making big statements.  Not so good at making big decisions.

It’s worse than that however.

In July of 2018 in anticipation of the 4 year anniversary of the flood some of the people working with Marianne Meed Ward on her run for the Office of Mayor prepared a report for her setting out in significant detail what the challenge was and what could be done to prepare for floods in the future.

That report was given to Marianne, it was discussed with her at length and made part of her election platform.  Rick Goldring, the incumbent at the time knew he was in trouble; the Meed Ward storm water report didn’t help.

In a report the Gazette wrote on the plan Meed Ward had we quoted her as saying: “As your mayor I will support measures to reduce flooding causes, and effects at the city level by Advocating responsible growth, not over-development.”

A link to that Gazette article is set out below.

The report given to Meed Ward follows/

We sometimes say: If we knew then what we know now – what a difference it would have made.

The truth is – we did know then what we needed to know.

Home Flood Protection Program:

 Burlington, Ont., Aug. 4, 2017— The University of Waterloo, Province of Ontario and City of Burlington announced  the launch of the Home Flood Protection Pilot Program.

• • Developed by University of Waterloo and the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation( and applied research centre); delivered by AET Consulting; subsidized by Intact Insurance Co., Province of Ontario, City of Burlington
  • The Home Flood Protection Program aims to help homeowners identify flood risks, take action to reduce those risks and support preventative maintenance activities that reduce risks over the long-term. This is achieved by a trained assessor who completes a 50-point visual assessment of potential sources of water entry into the home and discusses preventative maintenance practices with homeowners.
  • A confidential report is created to provide homeowners with a list of the top actions to reduce flood risk. The pilot program is available for single-family homeowners for a subsidized fee of $125 across Burlington from August to December 2017.
  • Overall numbers unavailable (from source) but major uptake in Burlington was from the southwest and north sectors of the City – those most impacted by the flooding.
• January 2018 announced that the program would be extended to other jurisdictions across Ontario plus Saskatoon:
  • City of Toronto – official launch July 11, 2018
  • Brantford
  • Bowmanville
  • Clarington
  • Hamilton
  • Oakville
  • Waterloo Region
• Special promotion offered to Burlington residents beginning January 2018 – 100 free assessments on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
  • As of July 11/2018 – only 92 new registrations with the program
  • City of Burlington staff source ( A. Shahzad) claimed that there was a quota (~150) but there seemed to be a general lack of interest in the program.
  • Majority of take-up is during the summer (based on one year of operation).
  • Informal feedback is that people are pleased with information they receive re ongoing maintenance (i.e. back-up valves).

City’s Response to August 4, 2014 – Chronology of Events/Actions:

Note: The follow is a list of reports that were prepared; many of the documents are no longer available on the city web site – why? that’s another story

Aug. 14, 2014 – Special Burlington City Council Meeting (F-36-14)

Sept. 8, 2014 – Flood presentation at Development and Infrastructure Committee (DI-16-14)

Sept. 22, 2014 – Report providing information on a program to assist homeowners with the cost of building permit fees for flood prevention (PB-85-14) Appendix to the report

Sept. 29, 2014 – Report recommending approval to establish a Flood Disaster Relief Committee (CM-14-14)

Nov. 17, 2014 – Report providing a storm water update regarding the Aug. 4 flood (CW-03-14)

Jan. 14, 2015 – Halton Region Basement Flooding Mitigation Study – Update #2

Feb. 18, 2015 – Halton Region Basement Flooding Mitigation Study – Update #3

Mar. 15, 2015 – City of Burlington Flood Response Update #1

• Key status piece/review for projects and planned mitigations
• Identifies the 15 priority projects across the city.
• Response is multi-faceted but bureaucratic and focused on symptoms rather than root causes.

April 22, 2015 – Halton Region Basement Flooding Mitigation Study – Update #4

April 30, 2015 – Conservation Halton report August 4, 2014 Storm Event, Burlington

May 20, 2015 – Halton Region Basement Flooding Mitigation Study – Update #5

July 6, 2015 – City of Burlington report providing an update regarding the Flood Vulnerability and Prioritization Study (CW-09-15) Appendix E – Figure 1  Appendix E – Figure 2

July 8, 2015 – Halton Region report PW-22-15 – Region Wide Basement Flooding Mitigation Study: Final Report and Recommendations

 June 15, 2016 – Halton Region report PW-18-16 Region Wide Basement Flooding Mitigation Program

June 17, 2017  –  City of Burlington report prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler Urban-Area Flood Vulnerability, Prioritization and Mitigation Study

Characteristics of City’s Flood Risk Mitigation Program:

• Recognizes that floods are not unique occurrences but that severe climatic events will be recurring “as the frequency and severity of extreme weather due to climate change is increasing …”
  • However, City still targets the after-effects rather than addressing root causes and getting ahead of the curve.
• Every City initiative is focused on home-owner self-help. There is no holistic or broad systemic response and no response that is innovative.
• “It is the City of Burlington’s responsibility to manage the storm sewer system and creeks to ensure stormwater runoff is safely carried away to reduce the risk of flooding”;
  • Hired AMEC Foster Wheeler (stormwater consultants) to analyse the storm, the impact on stormwater drainage and suggest mitigation measures.
  • July 15/2015 – preliminary findings presented to Council – additional $20.4 million added to multi year (10 year window) budget for stormwater infrastructure improvements.
    • `$ 2million/yr. for capital projects and upgrades such as larger creek culverts and improvements to creek channels.
    • Traditional erosion control and capacity increase solutions with planned projects that were accelerated with the marginally increased funding.
    • Three completed Spring/Summer 2018 – four years after the event.
      • Roseland Creek capacity
      • Tuck Creek erosion control
      • Tuck Creek capacity
    • Others scheduled for completion 2019-2020
  • Advice and remedial actions target the ‘homeowner’ as the responsible agent; focused on the private citizen in isolation and address the effects of a potentially recurring problem with traditional responses (i.e. increase capacity); does not holistically address the broader impacts of climate change over time with integrated, interdependent solutions.
  • List of subsidies available but again the onus is on the homeowner to effect or action.

Latest Findings and Reports:

Amec Foster Wheeler – Final Report (July 31/2017)

• Final report three (3) years after the event.
• Concluded that past vulnerability assessments were piecemeal – watershed by watershed rather than city-wide and comprehensive.
• Noted that “most of the flood vulnerable areas have been identified on a theoretical basis only (i.e. hydrologic and hydraulic modelling).”
• Identifies the most severely impacted watersheds:
  • Roseland creek
  • Tuck creek
  • Shoreacres creek
  • Appleby creek
• Potential issues with the reliability of the base data and models – used the most current available hydrologic and hydraulic models; did not develop new ones for the assessment. Several of the City’s modeling platforms were/are seriously dated.
• Ironically, the Regional Storm floodlines rather than the August 4^th storm floodlines were used for many watersheds because the digital data was available and reasonably similar +/- 10%. Assume this is within an acceptable margin of error.
• A series of limitations are noted with the assessment (p.36-37) – several appear serious. Leads to questions of overall accuracy/utility.
• The data show that Low Density Residential is the most vulnerable land use in the City’s urban area, representing 73% of all flood vulnerable buildings. When all residential land uses are combined, they constitute 82% of flood vulnerable buildings in the City-wide urban area. The data also indicate that Tuck Creek contains the greatest number of flood vulnerable buildings, followed by Roseland Creek and Appleby Creek; these three (3) creeks (in addition to Shoreacres Creek) were also the hardest hit on August 4th, 2014.
• A summary of the analysis and results is as follows:
  • ► 118 culverts/bridges assessed
  • ► Twenty (20) arterial structures have capacities less than or equal to the 5 year event (Note: This inherently conservative assessment does not account for the influence of manmade storage upstream of roadway and railway culverts)
  • ► 62 structures do not meet MTO B-100 criteria
  • ► 69 structures do not meet all criteria (MTO and MNRF)
  • ► Limitations of assessment (error) are similar to those expressed for FVA characterization
  • ► Where FVRs are downstream of priority FVAs, culvert upgrades have been considered for the short-list of flood mitigation alternatives.

Study Recommendations:

1. Work with partner agencies to establish/improve a network of stream flow and rainfall gauges for representative watersheds to assist in future extreme event characterization and calibration of future hydrologic modelling;
2. Undertake on a City-wide basis for each watershed / subwatershed detailed minor-major system hydrologic/hydraulic modelling to further characterize flood risk associate with urban stormwater conveyance including surface and storm sewer conveyance and confirm priority UFVAs identified herein;
3. Update stormwater management design standards, including formally updating IDF relationships and design storms on a periodic basis. Climate change considerations should be incorporated in the guidelines for design of stormwater management systems and conveyance infrastructure;
4. Complete a detailed assessment (i.e. simulation of spatially/temporally varying rainfall) for the August 4th, 2014 storm with consideration for peak flow attenuation behind culverts for Shoreacres and Appleby Creek to determine if the hydrologic models are underestimating runoff response (Note: the Tuck Creek hydrologic model underestimated August 4th, 2014 peak flows in the headwaters). The results of this assessment should be considered in the development of any future hydrologic modelling for City watersheds
5. Strategically update hydrologic models City-wide to account for changes in land use and as deemed necessary by flood mitigation projects recommended herein or other future projects. Model calibration and use of common modelling platforms would be considered beneficial;
6. Partner with Conservation Halton to update riverside hydraulic modelling City-wide, and update the assessment of riverine flood risk (RFVA characterization) completed herein as these models become available in order to confirm priority RFVAs;
7. Undertake the next stage of studies (Class Environmental Assessments and Master Drainage Plans) for the flood mitigation projects recommended herein to refine the flood risk characterization, consider environmental, social and economic constraints, consult the public and ultimately confirm the efficacy of the projects prior to implementation;
8. Optimize infrastructure sizing for culverts, channelizations and flood control facilities at the next level of study and undertake impact assessments to minimize flood impacts to upstream or downstream properties.
9. Based on Urban Area Flood Mitigation assessments include infrastructure not evaluated in the current study and consider full range of potential solutions. Update the City’s capital project prioritization based on the updated assessment.
10. The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) 2014, Section 3.1.5 specifies that certain high risk land uses such as hospitals, long term care homes, schools, essential emergency services, etc. not be permitted in the floodplain (ref. Appendix L). Future studies should consider these uses and the related risks in developing appropriate strategies.
11. Outcomes from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (University of Waterloo) (ref. Appendix I) Home Flood Protection Program) should be considered going forward in building flood resiliency in the City’s residential communities. – ongoing
12. As part of future watershed-based master plans, key road networks used for emergency services should be considered and integrated as part of the overall flood management solutions (ref. Appendix L).
13. The City’s future watershed-based master plans should build from a sound local knowledge base related to past (historic) and on-going management practices. Feedback, through post-construction monitoring of the effectiveness of these works, should form an adaptive management mechanism to improve future designs and approaches.
14. The City should seek out to partner with area stakeholders, including Conservation Halton, Region of Halton, utility companies, developers and others to implement fully integrated solutions compliant with Municipal and Provincial policy.
15. The Region of Halton has initiated a downspout disconnection program partially in response to the August 4, 2014 storm. The City will work with the Region to encourage participation and awareness of this program and also consider its influence on future surface drainage assessments – done

For those of you who need some time to put your feet up – this is going to be disturbing news.

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.

Related news story

Gazette story in Mayor’s election plans in 2018

By Pepper Parr

July 19^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

It was better than nothing – and some of the information was very useful.

It was the congratulating staff for the wonderful work they did  – when it was terrible.

The time spent on getting to an Urgent Business matter that wasn’t on the agenda was just plain irresponsible. Rain was falling on the streets while coouncil dithered.

The City Response was disappointing.  Communications seemed to have put their phones on hold.  There was nothing in the way of media releases.

In the lengthy article we did (link below) on the Council meeting it becomes clear that some people just didn’t know what they were doing.

One can imagine that Service Burlington was swamped with calls.  That’s why they are in place – to take calls – and if things move to a crisis mode one would hope that staff were trained to deal with that kind of situation.

Kearns deserves credit for getting something out.  She appears to have missed the photo op that took place on Cavendish near the 407 ETR overpass.  The Mayor was there – you weren’t surprised at that were you?

The report that follows came out of ward 2 Councillor’s office. Lisa Kearns was the Councillor who asked the questions that needed to be asked at the Tuesday Council meeting and pressed for the Special Council Meeting scheduled for the 19th

Kearns got it right when she thanked everyone who reached out to support their neighbours, especially those assisting families impacted by the flooding. “Your acts of kindness truly reflect the spirit of our community. Whether you checked in on a neighbour or extended a helping hand to someone out of town, your compassion has not gone unnoticed.”

The useful information included:

To help you stay informed and be prepared, here are some key resources:

Reporting Flooding

Basement Flooding: Contact 311 to report.

Street/City Property Flooding or Downed Trees: Call Service Burlington at 905-335-7777 or email city@burlington.ca.

Window/Door Flooding: Also contact Service Burlington.

The ground was soaked, unable to absorb the water – it then takes the course of least resistance. This picture is from ward 3.

Register with Halton Region:  Call 311 to register your flooding incident with Halton Region. Despite high call volumes, it’s essential to hold and report your situation for assessment and planning. Halton Region Public Works staff are working swiftly to review and follow up on each case.

Safety Precautions

* Immediate Danger: Call 911.

* Children and Pets: Keep them out of the affected area until cleanup is done.

* Electrical Safety: If water is near electrical outlets or panels, consider turning off your electricity. Consult your hydro company or an electrician as needed.

* Gas Safety: If you smell gas, leave immediately and contact your gas provider.

* Plumbing Use: Avoid using toilets or sinks until the source of the backup is identified.

* Food Safety: Do not consume potentially contaminated food.

Enhanced Waste Collection

To support clean-up efforts, between Monday, July 22, and Friday, August 2, in addition to regular waste service, Halton Region will be providing enhanced curbside waste collection services to all residents who have reported property flooding to Halton Region as follows:

• Garbage – limits temporarily waived, no bag tags required, collected weekly on regular collection days for the next two weeks
• Bulk items – limits temporarily waived, size limits and acceptable items (e.g., furniture, carpet/flooring etc.) still apply, collected weekly on regular collection days for the next two weeks

To receive this service, you must report your flooding to the Region of Halton by calling 311.

Helpful Links from Region of Halton

Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program

Basement Flooding Mitigation Program

Taking Action – Wastewater (Sewage) Backups in Homes

Insurance Assistance: The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is available to help with insurance questions.   Phone: 1-844-227-5422 * Email: ONCIC@ibc.ca  – * Website: Information on filing a claim is available.

Contact your insurance provider, document the damage with photos, and follow their instructions, which may include sending an adjuster or recommending repair services.

Travel and Safety Around the City

Do not drive or walk on flooded roads.

Immediate Danger: Call 911.

Private Property Flooding: Call 311.

Public Property Flooding: Call 905-335-7777 or email city@burlington.ca.

Flood Cleanup

City crews are clearing flooded areas. Homeowners should act quickly and safely. The Canadian Red Cross offers detailed flood cleanup and recovery guidance on their website.

Mental Health Support:  Flood recovery can be stressful. Distress Centre Halton offers 24/7 support at 905-681-1488.

Newcomer Services: If you are new to Canada and needing support, please reach out to HMC Connections

My office is here to assist you with any concerns or questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to email us at Ward2@burlington.ca. We’re committed to supporting you through this recovery process.

Related news story.

Council stumbles

By Staff

July 17th. 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Conservation Halton advises that the Flood Warning message issued July 16, 2024 has been downgraded to a Watershed Conditions Statement – Water Safety which is now in effect.

Water levels in watershed creeks rose significantly earlier in the week. Caution around the edges of creeks – especially with children.

Conservation Halton reports that areas within our jurisdiction received upwards of 80 mm yesterday, with the highest amounts recorded within the middle and upper watershed areas. The heavy rain combined with saturated ground conditions resulted in flooding of low-lying areas and watercourse overtopping at number of roadway crossings throughout the jurisdiction.  Watershed monitoring information combined with visual observations completed today have confirmed that water levels have receded following yesterday’s rain and flooding is no longer a concern.  Latest forecast information also indicates that no significant rainfall is anticipated over the next several days. Notwithstanding, levels within all watercourses will remain elevated as conditions slowly return to normal.

Conservation Halton continues to remind all residents and children to keep a safe distance from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.

Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will issue an update to this Watershed Condition Statement –Water Safety message as conditions warrant.

This Watershed Condition Statement will be in effect through Friday July 19, 2024.

By Pepper Parr

July 17th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

A Cavendish area resident is keeping us up to date what is happening in that part of the city and the problems with Hwy 407.

Councillor Nisan made an appearance this morning on the affected area of Cavendish…  Didn’t offer much info.  No sign of Meed Ward.

Residents are more impressed with the action of MPP Natalie Pierre…  where the CoB is telling residents that they are having a difficult time contacting the 407ETR people, Pierre contacted the Minister of Transportation…MTO then intervened on behalf of frustrated residents and got the ball rolling.

407 ETR flooding in 2014

Natlie Pierre: She may not have put on hip waders but she knew how to use the telephone.

407ETR crews were back on site on the highway south of Upper Middle this morning and are working to get the water draining properly. This will allow relief of the buildup of stormwater runoff which has caused the flooding on Cavendish to start to ease.  407ETR were out at the site on the highway on Tuesday morning but according to area residents, they called off any work due to safety concerns for crews…  the earth on either side of the creek outlet was very soft and unstable due to the saturation of the ground from all of the rain/creek runoff.

Tree limbs and branches got swept up in creeks that were at their water level limits and carried this debris to the point where it bunched up and jammed up and resulted in flooding.

Still, one of the major contributing factors to the situation on Cavendish and this creek, is the lack of maintenance to clear and remove debris.  The largest contributor to the tree limb / branch debris is material which was cut and left in place to naturally decay after the City’s program to cut down infected Emerald Ash trees which were stricken by the Emerald Ash Beetle.

Apparently this was the approach developed and outlined in the City’s Urban Tree and Forestry Program….

Common sense would have been to bring in mobile tree chipper/shredders and to have mulched the cut limbs and branches on site while the Ash trees were being cut down.

By Staff

July 17th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward issued the following statement on the flooding.

Link to the Mayor’s statement:

A resident had some comments to make on the Mayor’s current position on flooding. On the 4 year anniversary of the August 4, 2014 Burlington flood, in the middle of the 2018 municipal election, the Meed Ward campaign released a comprehensive assessment of the flood mitigation strategies and provisions that were enabled/enacted through the Goldring administration. Not surprisingly, Meed Ward was very critical of both the efficacy and the comprehensiveness of those strategies/provisions.

In particular, the use of the backflow valve technology and the homeowner subsidies offered were brought into serious question. By contrast, she tabled a program that was largely based on the Vancouver integrated water management measures and that featured the use of permeable surfaces, tree canopy and recapture/recycling processes to use rainfall as a regular, natural resource.

The program seemed to resonate with the electorate and was a major differentiator between the Meed Ward and Goldring campaigns. However, little if any of the measures that Meed Ward recommended have been pursued let alone implemented under her administration. You will note our current use of permeable surfaces rather than asphalt and concrete, our coherent tree management program and our responsive flood plain management have yet to be implemented.

We do seem to easily declare a “Climate Emergency” but it has roughly the same force as a civic square flag raising for National Podiatrist Day – no offence meant to practitioners of the foot intended.

By Pepper Parr

July 16^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

While City Council discussed flooding and made plans for a Special Council meeting on Frday to tal about the communications problems a local resident sent us the following:

This is the creek / tributary crossing Cavendish Dr. South of Upper Middle…. You know, in Ward 3….

Creek / tributary crossing Cavendish Dr. South of Upper Middle.

Large broken tree branches and limbs which have been carried down stream.

As of 12:30 this afternoon, there was no sign of City Works or Conservation Halton crews.   The creek culverts on both sides are plugged with large broken tree branches and limbs which have been carried down stream with increased run off from the recent storms.

Resident reports that: “A lot of the debris in the creek was building up after Monday’s storm events.

“The creek actually started to crest over the banks, sidewalks and onto the roadway around 6am Tuesday.

“Enbridge Energy was shutting of gas supply to affected homes, and Burlington Hydro cut power to affected homes as well.

“There are an estimated 10 homes north of the creek and another 4 homes south which have had utilities cut as a safety measure.”

Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan attended part of the Council meeting – he was taking part in a Federation of Canadian Municipalities at the same time.

By Randy Robinson

July 16^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

By now, most Ontarians know that frontline workers at the LCBO are on strike, but not everyone knows why. So here’s an explanation.

This is not just another strike about wages and working conditions. It’s about stopping the destruction of actual jobs held by actual people. It’s about protecting a public asset that belongs not to the government but to the people of Ontario. And it’s about protecting billions of dollars in revenues that fund provincial public services.

All of those things are connected.

Unions have learned that they can beat the Premier of the province.

In the world of labour negotiations, few issues are more fundamental than setting the boundaries of the bargaining unit.

The term “bargaining unit” describes a group of employees, working for one employer or a group of employers, who are members of the same union and negotiate a collective agreement together. When it comes to defining the unit, one factor is critically important: the work itself.

Whose job is it to unload that truck, or stock those shelves? Whose job is it to sell that product?

If unloading, stocking, and selling is bargaining unit work, then workers and their union can negotiate wages, scheduling, job security protections, and all the things unions negotiate. But if that same work is deemed to be outside the bargaining unit, then the workers are out of luck. You can’t bargain over work that’s not in the bargaining unit.

This is a core issue in the current strike by OPSEU members at the LCBO. Because the Ontario government—the actual employer here—is taking a wrecking ball to the walls of the bargaining unit.

The mood on the the picket line appears to be high.

By allowing up to 8,500 new private outlets to sell beer, wine, and pre-mixed cocktails, the LCBO is transferring bargaining unit work outside the reach of the union. It’s a direct attack on OPSEU members’ ability to have a say over their wages and working conditions.

This would be alarming to workers in any workplace, but when it comes to the LCBO, it should be alarming to every Ontarian. That’s because the LCBO is a public asset, and a very lucrative one at that. The $2.5 billion dividend the LCBO paid to the government in 2022-23 is a lot of money. It’s enough to fund the Sault Area Hospital nearly 10 times over. Or the public school board in Windsor five times over.

The profits of the LCBO are a strange thing to want to give up, yet that is exactly what Queen’s Park is doing. Under the government’s new plan, a sizable chunk of the profits currently flowing to the public will now flow to private companies and their owners. The taxes these companies pay on the sales they make will not come close to making up for the LCBO’s lost profits. And profit is where the money is.

Until recently, Ontario governments of all stripes have understood this basic fact. Successive governments have maximized the LCBO’s profits in two ways: by expanding sales, and by ruthlessly pushing down labour costs at every opportunity.

But making money has not been governments’ only concern. Since the 1980s, private interests have been demanding a larger share of the alcohol market. And governments have responded.

Picket turn out is good.

After his election in 1995, Ontario Premier Mike Harris did not sell the LCBO, as he had pledged to do. Instead, he used the threat of privatization as a cudgel to extract major concessions from LCBO workers and their former union. By 2002, the end of the Harris years, the majority of customer service reps working in LCBO stores (and many workers in its warehouses and offices) were casual employees with low wages, no benefits, and tenuous job security.

Unfortunately, these increased LCBO profits—paid for by the workers—did nothing to silence the self-interested voices calling for more private alcohol sales. They still wanted a piece of the action.

Successive governments gave it to them.

In 2006, the government of Dalton McGuinty doubled the number of LCBO “agency stores” run by private operators in smaller communities, bringing the total to 199. Starting in 2015, the Kathleen Wynne government expanded beer and wine sales to 450 grocery stores. Starting in 2019, the Doug Ford government again boosted the number of agency stores (renamed “LCBO convenience outlets”), bringing the number to 389 today.

In 2021, the LCBO closed its Retail Service Centre warehouse in downtown Toronto and contracted the work out to Trillium Supply Chain, part of an international logistics company. As a result, LCBO work related to e-Commerce, the Vintages Shop Online, and Specialty Services were transferred outside the OPSEU bargaining unit.

All these changes have been significant. But they are nothing compared to what the current government has in store. At present, there are 2,366 private outlets selling alcohol in Ontario in addition to 685 LCBO stores. Adding 8,500 more private outlets will have a profound effect on sales at the LCBO—and reduce the revenues that benefit all Ontarians.

When asked by City News how much those revenues would fall, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy responded, “Who knows, who knows?” When asked why the government’s plan includes private sales of pre-mixed cocktails, he said, “This is something that, you know, the broader community, the convenience stores, grocers, wanted.”

Liberal party leader Bonnie Crombie on the right is out talking to strikers. Marit Stiles, on the left meets with those on the picket lines.

Such comments make it clear that safeguarding the public interest is not top-of-mind for the government. It is not the public interest, but private interests, that are dictating government policy.

To be clear, striking OPSEU members are defending their own interests as well. But it’s important to remember that their bargaining unit is our LCBO. In this case, the interests of the workers and the interests of the broader public are closely aligned.

Randy Robinson is the Ontario Director  of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. His background includes long career in progressive public relations and political economy.

By Staff

July 15th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Conservation Halton advises that the Watershed Conditions Statement – Flood Outlook issued on July 13, 2024 has been upgraded to a Flood Watch.

Over the last hour, up to 50 mm of rain has fallen from localized thunderstorm activity through urban Burlington and Oakville. Watercourses in these areas are significantly elevated and at or near bankfull capacity. Additional rainfall will create significant runoff with saturated soil conditions and increase water levels further. Environment Canada has issued a Rainfall Warning suggesting that showers and thunderstorms will continue for the next few hours this afternoon.

This was the scene on literally dozens of roads. At one point there was what amounted to a creek running down the west lanes of Brant Street.

Areas of localized flooding in urban areas are likely. Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should be on alert. Regular inspection and removal of debris at culverts and drainage inlets is recommended.

 All watercourses and shoreline areas should be considered dangerous during this time. Conservation Halton is asking all residents to stay away from watercourses, shorelines and structures such as bridges, culverts, dams and break walls. High water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks and shorelines make these locations extremely dangerous.  Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.

Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will issue an update to this Flood Watch message as conditions warrant.

This Flood Watch message will be in effect through Tuesday July 16, 2024 and will either be updated or terminated.

By Pepper Parr

July 14^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

The agenda for Tuesday’s July 16^th, 2024, Council meeting itemizes a motion to again request that the Province stop development on the Millcroft greenspace by way of a Minster’s Zoning Order (MZO).

Both Millcroft Against Development (MAD) and Millcroft Greenspace Alliance (MGA) are supporting this decision by Council.

I find myself wondering why this is happening at this point in time.

I think the MZO ship has sailed.  Let me tell you why.

There are some who claim that Premier Ford makes decisions to make his friends rich.  I admit that some of the Premiers friends were going to become even richer had his Greenbelt plans come to pass but I don’t believe that he decides to do something because it will make a friend rich. I do think he makes decisions  that he thinks are the right decision – making people rich is a consequence.

Doug Ford has a personal image of what Ontario should look like and he makes decisions based on that image: Ferris wheels, buy beer just about anywhere.  He sees himself as a business person and makes business thinking based decisions.  He never did learn that he was elected to serve the best interest of the people in Ontario.

If there was ever going to be an MZO it would have been done BEFORE the issue was sent to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Does anyone really think that after putting his “friend” through the rigour and expense of an OLT hearing (it took 17 days for the hearing to be completed) that the Premier or the Minister of Municipal Affairs is now going to put pen to paper and issue the document that would negate what the OLT decided?

Both MGA and MAD make very good points.  I think they are misguided, that will offend them and I apologize for that.

MGA points out that the OLT is in place to look at the evidence and issue a decision.  Note that the decision has a lot of TASKs that have to be completed; the developer didn’t get

The OLT reached a decision in favour of the developer. There are conditions still to be met, one of which is obtaining consent from some neighbouring homeowners. MGA will continue to follow-up with all options to stop the development.

MAD team has met with their Legal Counsel and Planner with regards to this decision. In their view, we will not be successful in challenging this decision in the Ontario Courts, however the Minister of Housing still has the capability to issue a Minister’s Zoning Order to stop the development.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Councillor Angelo Bentivegna.

On July 3, the MAD executive team met with Mayor Meed Ward, ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, Effie Triantafilopoulos (MPP) and Zee Hamid (MPP). The points that MAD made are below.

Legal counsel and planner are of the view that the decision by the OLT was carefully worded to ensure that we would not be able to appeal to the courts on a matter of law. An OLT decision cannot be taken to the Courts). They did indicate that it was also possible to write to the Chair of the OLT to object however they are very hesitant to interfere with a Tribunal decision unless the errors are patently obvious which we do not think is the case in our situation. Consequently, the only avenue available is to get the Provincial government to overturn this decision with a Ministers Zoning Order.

MAD thought the following was wrong with the OLT decision:

The City carried out a thorough review of the application;  engaging their internal experts and  outside consultants. The process they followed was very fair with the public and the developer being fully engaged. Council was very careful not to arrive at a decision until the experts had completed their work. Of

City Council and their consultants were  unanimous in their decision to allow the development of the condo on Dundas and against the development on the 92 homes on the golf course.

The development plans cal for the removal of the pond – it won’t be needed.

The OLT decision said: “this hearing is of a non-decision by City Council and therefore the Tribunal did not have regard to a Council decision as one was never made. In the course of a 17 day Hearing of evidence, the Tribunal reached its own conclusions and decision based on the evidence provided”  So three years of work by the City, their internal experts and external experts was supplanted by a 17 day hearing with lay Co-chairs at the OLT.

The OLT decision makes the key point that “the Tribunal is directed to render a decision that it must be satisfied that the proposed development conforms to the City OP and the ZBA must conform with the OP and the draft PoS applications represent good planning and are in the public interest.”

This is what they are deciding yet they totally disregarded the City decision even though it is their Official Plan. They also had over 1,000 pages of public input they reviewed where not one person agreed with development on the golf course holes and two neighbourhood groups opposed the application along with the City.

From the OLT decision: “These Applications require balancing the private right to develop against the public interest in protecting open space and the environment.” It is clear that the OLT determined that it was far more important to protect the private right to develop over the public interest despite their mandate being to do what is in the public interest.

It is the view of MAD that the  OLT is now there to protect the developers right to develop even though this is not in their mandate but doing what is in the public interest is.

The evidence presented at the OLT clearly showed that when the development was approved, a critical part of the approval of the development was to build the community around the existing golf course and that the golf course lands should be permanent open space (whether that is a golf course or park/open space). Secondly, in Burlington’s history, they have never rezoned parks and open space to residential even when it is privately owned park/open space. The last point is that, in our view, the price that Argo paid for this land recognized there was a significant risk associated with getting this rezoned ($5 million for 50%).

MAD has said: “We are now looking for the Province to step in and do what is right so hoping this will happen. Assuming it does, similar to the last provincial election, we will strongly support Effie and other regional MPP’s. If the province does nothing then we will make this a major campaign issue and support others who want to protect Greenspace.

There was a public meeting at which Mayor Meed Ward and Regional Chair Gary Carr said they would be pressuring the provincial government to issue a MZO.  They weren’t able to get an MZO then – they are not going to get one now.  Quite why Meed Ward and Bentivegna are making this effort now is hard to understand – unless they see a political advantage.

While  unlikely, Meed Ward may have been asked by the province to request an MZO so that the province can be magnanimous and agree to have one issued.  That, I agree is a stretch.  The Premier cannot be comfortable with his 31% ranking.  His LCBO move is blowing up in his face, the Science Centre decision is before the Courts where it might be overturned.

Anything in the way of an uptick in the Premier’s ranking would be welcome.

The proposed resolution is posted on the City of Burlington’s Website and is set out in full below.

MAD asks  anyone who can attend in person to do so, in support of our City Council.

We expect this resolution to be passed at Council on Tuesday. Mayor Meed Ward has asked that MAD once again circulate a Petition in support of the City’s resolution. We ask that everyone sign this new Petition once it goes live next week.

The Motion:

Whereas the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) has issued a recent decision and interim order to approve the redevelopment of parts of the Millcroft Golf Course by the Millcroft Greens Corporation on June 12, 2024; and

Whereas Burlington Council is not requesting interference with the OLT process or ruling; and

Whereas Burlington Council is requesting the Province issue a Ministerial Zoning Order as there is limited time to act to save this area before shovels are in the ground for development; and

Whereas the parks and open space currently operating as the Millcroft Golf Course, is unique among golf courses, in that it is in an urban area, designed as a figure eight weaving among houses, functioning as natural storm water conveyance on a floodplain, and we know of no other golf course with these set of conditions; and

Whereas land use planning decision-making should always rest with local councils, professional and qualified staff, and the community, for maximum accountability, transparency, and democracy in adherence with applicable Official Plan documentation; and

Whereas in December 2022, following extensive community consultation, Burlington City Council unanimously declared opposition to the proposed residential development of the Millcroft Golf Course, particularly Areas A, B, C, and D of the development, and support in principle for the proposed residential development of Area E which is not on greenspace, and further brought these concerns to the attention of the OLT during the appeal hearing; and

Whereas Burlington City Council unanimously approved a resolution on September 26, 2023 requesting the province to issue a Ministerial Zoning Order to protect these lands from development, which it has the power to do at any time, to facilitate appropriate residential development in Area E and ensure the protection of the greenspace and natural areas from re-development of Areas A, B, C and D on the Millcroft Golf Course; and

Whereas Halton Regional Council unanimously approved a similar resolution on October 18, 2023 supporting the City of Burlington’s resolution for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to protect the vital Millcroft Golf Course greenspace; and

Whereas the City of Burlington has recently adopted its 2022-2026 Work Plan, “From Vision to Focus”, detailing specifically Focus Area 3 on protecting and improving the natural environment and taking action on climate change; and

Whereas the protection of existing greenspace within the City of Burlington is crucial for the municipality to provide opportunities for access to both public and private green space for current residents and future generations; and

Whereas the City of Burlington has an abundance of options for development to achieve provincially mandated growth targets towards accomplishing the province’s goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2031, and it is not required to sacrifice greenspace or build on critical floodplains to accommodate Burlington’s share of housing as referenced in the 2022 – 2026 Burlington’s Work Plan: From Vision to Focus, Focus Area 1 Designing and Delivering Complete Communities; and

Whereas a recent Burlington Staff Report found a deficit of urban greenspace of 104 hectares to accommodate planned population growth for 2051; and

Whereas the City of Burlington can accommodate its share of new housing units in provincial priority areas such as GO stations, aging retail plazas, select growth areas, and major transportation station areas such as Plains Road and Fairview Street corridors; and

Whereas these growth areas are built into the City’s Official Plan and will more than accommodate new housing growth for the municipality; and

Whereas the needs and interests of Burlington residents are captured in the City’s Official Plan in effect and as adopted by Council in 2022 to provide clarity and certainty about planned future housing development sites, and does not include any requirements or need to redevelop the Millcroft Golf Course;

Now therefore be it resolved that Burlington City Council request the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, through its zoning order framework process, to 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;

Be it further resolved that the Clerk forward the resolution to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Doug Downey, AttorneyGeneral, the Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Honourable Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Halton MPPs, Halton Local Municipalities, Michael Kraljevic, Chair of Ontario Land Tribunal and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for their information.

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.