News « Burlington Gazette - Local News, Politics, Community

Mayor slips into a fake news mode with the 'absolutely not' remark

By Pepper Parr

May 23, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says there will “absolutely not be a City of Halton.”

That is what is called “fake news”.

The Mayor knows full well that the provincial government can do whatever they want with how a municipality is governed.
Doug Ford revised the makeup of Toronto during an election

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward – More pensive thought is needed at this stage of the city’s evolution.

She told BurlingtonToday that Burlington council has agreed to support an assessment of Halton Region and be an active participant in that process, after passing a motion at its May 16 meeting.

“Everything else is on the table,” she said, adding things like transit could be uploaded to the Region and other things downloaded, “but it must deliver better service for better value.”
City Council will find a way to work out the differences with the province – but words like “absolutely not” are just not acceptable.

For a woman who regularly makes mention of her experience is as a journalist she should know better. Meed Ward was never a news reporter: she was the editor of a magazine and a columnist and she studied journalism.

During the really very difficult times we are going through, and will probably be tied up with through to the end of this term of office, the city needs some level headed thinking and getting very bold and creative is as they work their way through the revision of the Strategic Plan

Thinking hard as well about what community engagement should be and could be if the right people were in place is long overdue.

Gaetan on the EV: Likes the Project Arrow EV

By Joe Gaetan

May 23, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

About 25 years ago I attended a Sustainable Living Exposition at the Direct Energy Centre, now known as the Enercare Centre at the Exhibition grounds. Unlike today the general public in the 90’s did not jump onto the sustainable bandwagon. I came away from that exposition with many memorable takeaways, including a type of lawn made from seeds that required one cutting a year, and test riding a Segway. The Segway was, in the writers opinion a fine form of personal transportation and ahead of its time. It is unfortunate that the Segway did not become more mainstream as municipalities banned their use. That exposition also led me to buy a battery-operated lawnmower. The size of the battery of which was the size of a carry-on piece of luggage.

The battery capacity of the “BOLM” was insufficient to allow me to cut my small lawn in one outing. On top of that the battery died within a year at a replacement cost of over $100.

This has the potential to become an All Canadian car – it will take a lot of automotive sector cooperation.

Last week I attended EV Charging Expo 2023, hosted by Electric Autonomy Canada ( https://electricautonomy.ca/ ). According to Laura Maurice, Vice President Partnerships and Client Services, the event received about 2,000 registrations from Canada, the U.S.A., and International. The B2B show was geared towards connecting buyers with partners and suppliers whose goals were to “electrify” and included 55 exhibitors as well as 20 EV vehicles. During this EXPO I test-drove a “Sarit” (insert picture) Micro-Mobility Vehicle invented by Frank Stronach the founder of Magna International. The Sarit can be deployed in many ways, from food delivery to personal conveyance. The Sarit has a range of approximately 100 km per charge.

I was pleased and impressed to see the exposition also included the APMA, Project Arrow EV concept vehicle (insert pictures). For those who are not aware of this vehicle, it is the brainchild of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association (https://apma.ca/).

I am old enough to know what happened to the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow. As such I was quite interested to speak with APMA about the future of the concept vehicle. The question I posed to them was “when are we going to manufacture this vehicle in Canada”? All of the components (except the microchips) are made right here in our great country.

As many of you may know the Provincial and Federal governments have pledged approximately $13 billion to Volkswagen to build a battery plant in Saint Thomas. It also looks like they will have to pony-up a bunch more cash to keep “Stellantis” from heading south of the border. It seems to me that a better use of the $13 billion would be to fund the Canadian made Arrow EV.

As I am a member of an EV team in a condo in Burlington ON my motivation for attending the exposition included, wanting to see firsthand what was available in terms of electrical infrastructure, last mile technology, smart chargers, and government assistance.

Something I have encountered as a part of being a member of an EV team is that far too many people have little knowledge and understanding of EV’s or which vehicle would best suit their lifestyle and driving needs. One of the exhibitors, PlugNDrive (www.plugndrive.ca) offers a service that includes a “The PlugnDrive Roadshow” that is coming to Burlington later this year. PlugnDrive offers, EV related resources, vehicle pricing, rebate information and EV test drives.

Hopefully the car will not go the same way as the Avro Arrow

The one thing I was most disappointed with was the lack of infrastructure funding available through the ZEVIP federal program (https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/transportation-alternative-fuels/zero-emission-vehicle-infrastructure-program/21876 ). Having spoken with Burlington Hydro we are aware that the ZEVIP program has no funds allocated to condominium corporations to improve their electrical infrastructure. The reason why condo corporations should be afforded financial assistance for electrical infrastructure can be dealt with in another article.

Perhaps M.P. Karina Gould can weigh-in as to how our federal government is planning to help with this necessary and much needed infrastructure.

Joe Gaetan is a frequent contributor on civic matters

It is time for Honest,Direct Engagement and Straight Talk about what the possible impacts of Upper Tier Dissolution will be other than expensive

By Blair Smith

May 22, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Burlington Today reports that:

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says there will “absolutely not be a City of Halton.”

She told BurlingtonToday that Burlington council has agreed to support an assessment of Halton Region and be an active participant in that process, after passing a motion at its May 16 meeting.

Burlington, along with Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills are gathered together as a Region. The Region has its own Official Plan that Burlington must comply with. The Region handles Social Services, Waste and water management, some roads, police and Emergency Services. It levies taxes which the city collects.

“Everything else is on the table,” she said, adding things like transit could be uploaded to the Region and other things downloaded, “but it must deliver better service for better value.”

To be polite, here we go again with our Mayor answering a question that may have been relevant six months ago but hardly now in the face of Minister Clark’s announcement on Thursday.

Actually, it’s puzzling why BurlingtonToday would choose to report the Mayor’s comments since their context is now rather dramatically changed. And just to be completely accurate, “the motion” was tabled as a “consent item” at the May 16th Council meeting with no questions, comments or debate. So much for being “an active participant”.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward greeting Premier Doug Ford during a tour of Joseph Brant Hospital.

Indeed, there will certainly not be “a City of Halton”; there may be no Halton at all. There may be no City of Burlington either, although I imagine that Meed Ward is eager to accept the prospects of a Mississauga scenario with abundant Strong Mayor powers.

The reality is that the Ontario Government is once again rolling the municipal dice and the target – not for economies of scale and operational efficiencies but for better management of new housing targets – is the Upper Tier.

All the services that were consolidated will be disaggregated into the emancipated municipalities and the costs, both of dissolution and of creating needed service depth and structure, will be borne by the taxpayer.

Will Burlington benefit if Halton Region is dissolved? It is impossible to say at this point but I personally don’t like the prospects. The economics just don’t make sense.

When a group of us fought regional amalgamation in 2019 we believed that we were protecting local voice and decision-making. Today, we would be far less enthusiastic. Even in 2019 we acknowledged and supported the benefits of further consolidation of certain services and functions at the regional level – things like information technology, fleet management, common purchasing, vendors of record and transportation.

However, we felt that cities, such as Burlington and Oakville, should have strong influence over how they grew as communities and should not be amalgamated into an indistinct ‘melting pot’. That would still be our belief today despite the failure of our Council to deliver on their promises and a truly remarkable opportunity.

It is time for honest and direct engagement with Burlington’s citizens – straight talk about what the possible impacts of Upper Tier dissolution are. Given the fact that the municipalities left standing and perhaps whole will still be creatures of the province, subject to provincial direction and control, but now tasked with funding standalone services, it is difficult to be enthusiastic.

Related news story:

The article that brought out the opinion.

It is going to take more than grassroots love to stop Doug Ford from doing whatever he wants to do with the Regions

By Pepper Parr

May 22nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Doug Ford is at it again. He seems to have this fixation on what the municipal level of government is all about. He continues to meddle and muddle until he finds something that suits his fancy. In the process, he creates great churn and turmoil in all levels of government below the province.

The government introduced legislation on Thursday dubbed the “Hazel McCallion Act” to dissolve Peel Region and have the three municipalities stand on their own starting Jan. 1, 2025.
Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon will be ‘peeled’ apart in under two years — and six other regions have been put on notice that they could be next.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark said he was taking “decisive action” to help the municipalities build more homes.
Ontario also said it will appoint “regional facilitators” in the coming weeks for the upper-tier municipalities of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Simcoe, Waterloo and York. Their job will be to find out whether the municipalities that make up those regions are able to stand on their own.

The facilitators were initially announced in November with the goal of looking into whether the regions should get strong mayor powers, and to advise on “the best mix of roles and responsibilities between upper and lower-tier municipalities” for tackling the housing crisis.

Simcoe, which was initially left off the list, was added on Thursday.

Now, the government is explicitly saying the D-word – dissolution!

“These facilitators will be tasked with reviewing whether the upper-tier government continues to be relevant to the needs of its communities or whether the lower-tier municipalities are mature enough to pursue dissolution,” reads the Thursday release.

It’s still unclear who the facilitators will be.

“Details regarding the facilitators and the timing of their appointment are under development and we will have more to share on that soon,” Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) spokesperson Melissa Diakoumeas said in an email.

None of the municipalities provided comment about their potential dissolution by press time.

There’s nothing in the new legislation about expanding any municipal boundaries, as the government has been wont to do, sometimes without warning. Of course, the facilitators could make that recommendation; or the government could decide to do it at any time.

Clark was asked on Thursday why Simcoe was added to the list. “I think we’ve always had that discussion, given the high growth pressures in Simcoe County,” he said. “Servicing is obviously an issue.”

Regional Chair Gary Carr, speaking at the Millcroft resident’s meeting said that there were huge changes coming to the Region. At the time Chair Carr didn’t elaborate – now we know what he was talking about.

The up-to-five-person transition board that will oversee Peel Region’s breakup has a slew of issues that will have to be sorted out — like the future of municipal taxes, finances, regional staff, conservation authorities, and the Peel Region Police — by 2025.

The transition board will also have the power to ban the municipalities from doing things it deems would hurt the dissolution. If the municipalities ignore the board, the legislation gives power to Clark to step in and manage their affairs directly.

The Ford government will appoint the panel’s members sometime this year — and the municipalities will foot the bill, according to the legislation.

We Love Burlington fought the good fight back in 2018-19 – the report that was to be released has yet to see the light of day. The government is in the process of taking another crack at changing the role that Regions play in the building of the residential housing the city has pledged to deliver.

That same process will be used when the province decides to take another look at how Halton operates. This might revive the “We Love Burlington” advocacy group.

In 2018/19, the newly elected PC Government undertook a review of regional governments with specific emphasis on achieving economies of scale, reduction of red tape and operating efficiencies through amalgamation.

The direction was directly opposite that announced on Thursday; it was to assimilate specific lower tier municipalities into the upper tier government.

It projected multiple benefits through consolidating services at the regional level and dramatically reforming or eliminating local governments.

Former Waterloo chair Ken Seiling, right, and former deputy minister Michael Fenn (who was once a General Manager with the City of Burlington) were tasked with the review to be prepared and reported by early summer of 2019. The report they submitted was never released to the public.

There were specific target regions – Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, Oxford County, the County of Simcoe and their lower-tier municipalities. Former Waterloo chair Ken Seiling and former deputy minister Michael Fenn were tasked with the review to be prepared and reported by early summer of 2019.

Grass roots organizations quickly sprouted in Oakville and Burlington (the “We Loves”) to fight amalgamation and counter the perceived threat to local decision-making and the expression of local voice. The anti-amalgamation campaign was short but relatively intense and well-co-ordinates. Although public opinion seemed to be split in other regions, Halton presented a common face and championed preserving local autonomy. What started with much fanfare and bluster ended quietly in late June 2019 when the Ford Government announced that they would receive the report but neither publish nor act on its recommendations.

So, today it’s “déjà vu all over again” but in reverse with the regional governments in danger of dissolution, of being “peeled back”. This is not a victory for local autonomy and the integrity of local governance and decision-making. Municipalities, such as Burlington, are still the creation of the Province and very much subject to its control and direction.
Indeed, early messaging from Queen’s Park is that an even tighter choke will be placed around the lower tier neck.

Some of these municipalities, such as Burlington, may not recognize themselves when this is through.

Ironically, those who founded the 2019 We Love Burlington campaign would find it difficult to pose the same arguments of local governance integrity and transparency today.

Related news story:

Opinion piece on the changes in Regional government.

The problem with the 29 storey Waterdown Road Development is not the height or density - it's what is directly across the street

By Pepper Parr

May 22, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The development proposal that is currently before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) is a 29-storey, 295 unit mixed-use building (1-bedroom and 2-bedroom models) with an overall proposed building height of 107.10 metres (including mechanical penthouse).

A 4-storey podium is proposed as part of the building design and will incorporate ground floor retail; above the podium – a 29-storey, 295 unit mixed-use building. It is precisely the kind of building that will probably be approved at the OLT.

A 4-storey podium is proposed as part of the building design and will incorporate ground floor retail and amenity area, with the remainder to be comprised of a parking structure.

Proposed parking includes 295 resident parking spaces (combination of two (2) levels of underground and 3.5 levels of above-grade parking) with an additional 25 visitor parking spaces proposed.

A total of 60 bicycle parking spaces are also proposed. The proposed gross floor area of the development is 21,439.0 m2 (8.2:1 FAR) with total amenity area comprising 5,224.0 m2 (combination of indoor and outdoor).

It is the kind of development the city is going to have to approve if they are to reach the 29,000 residential unit pledge they made to the province.

The property is owned by the Infinity Development Group and is located at 1029-1033 Waterdown Rd. It is currently before the Ontario Land Tribunal

The issue with the development is not the height or the number of units – but the location of the development. It is almost directly across the street from two small pieces of property owned by the ward Councillor. The distance between the development site and the Councillors property is 60 paces. My pace distance – heel to toe – is 32 inches; sixty of those paces totals 1920 inches which when converted to metric is 48.768 metres – cal it 49 metres which is less than half of the120 rule of thumb that is used to determine the acceptable distance between properties.

To see what 60 paces looks like watch the video as the camera scans from the two lots Galbraith owns across Waterdown Road ending where a truck is moving up the Road. That is site the 29 storey tower will be built when it is approved at the OLT. Click on Video

On the west side of Waterdown Road there are currently two houses that will be demolished to make way for the 29 storey tower.

These two house will be demolished once the 29 storey development application clears the Ontario Land Tribunal

On the east side of Waterdown Road there are the two small lots that Kelvin Galbraith owns. In the distance you can see the rear of the gymnasium Galbraith owns and operates. On the left you can see part of the garage located at the intersection of Waterdown Road and Plains Road. The garage is own by someone else.

The open space is now owned by Galbraith. There were two small houses on the property that were demolished.

To the west of the two small lots we show the rear of the gymnasium Galbraith owns and operates.

To the west of that is the small plaza owned by Emshih Developments

The Fitness firm, owned and operated by Kelvin Galbraith, is to the immediate west of Jerry’s Garage.

A view of the site from Plains Road show the Galbraith Gymnasium and the garage to the east.

That is some distance from the 250 (120) metres that the Integrity Commissioner told ward 1 Councillor Galbraith that would put him in a Conflict of Interest.

Galbraith has an agreement in place with Emshih Development to jointly develop the properties they individually own.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

E is the Emshih property; A is the location of the Galbraith gymnasium; D and C are owned by Galbraith and B is the garage owned by someone else.

The properties that are included in the agreement are set out in the graphic below.

We don’t know just what is included in the agreement between Galbraith and Emshih Development – we have no reason to know, it is a private business matter that is non of our business.

What is of public interest, and what creates the Conflict of Interest is this: When the Infinity development is eventually approved, and there is every reason to believe that it will be approved – the value of the Galbraith-Emshih properties skyrockets.

It’s something of a Catch-22 with the residents of Aldershot caught in the middle. If the existing Conflict of Interest rules (based on a distance ‘rule of thumb’) do not apply to Galbraith, then he will be allowed to take part in discussions of something that materially affects his financial interests.

It is difficult to see how he would be impartial. If the Conflict of Interest rules do apply, and we believe that they should, then Galbraith cannot speak about the development and the citizens of Ward 1 are left without a voice on this issue.

Who will represent the interests and concerns of area residents?

Related news stories:

The resident learns that he will not be able to communicate with his Council member.

Art Gallery will be open Monday - 1:00 - 4:00 PM (Free Admission)

By Staff

May 21st, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The Art Gallery will be open on the holiday Monday. There is a Family Drop-In: Poetry Pantry

Monday May 22
1:00 – 4:00 PM (Free Admission)

Poetry & the Spring Pantry: What kinds of things do we bottle up? What secrets might we keep tucked away on a shelf? What memories could we store in a mason jar?

Taking inspiration from Victor Cicansky’s Spring Pantry, local artist and poet Carmella Dolmer will be here to help kids and families create their own jars from cardboard and paper mâché, which they can fill with whatever inspires them. This play-based approach is a mindful way to lay the foundation for creative writing and is a joyful reflection on one of our collection’s most iconic and beloved pieces.

The AGB is incredibly grateful to the Incite Foundation for the Arts and the Burlington Foundation (through a generous gift from the GWD Foundation for Kids) for support of all children and youth programs.

One can just imagine what the Legal people had to say when they saw this picture. Liability,liability would have been top of mind. It looked like the kids were having a great time. Might have been the one occasion when the controversial and misunderstood piece of art was relevant to them.

Splash pad hours - operational until 9 pm

By Pepper Parr

May 20th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

It might not be news today but when the weather is warmer and you want to get the kids out of the house and playing – the nine splash pads in the city will be great paces to spend some time.

We asked the Communications people to tell just when the splash pads are operational.

LaSalle and the other seven splash pads are operational between 8 am and 9 pm

We learned that the water flow is turned on automatically when people push a button. Given that I don’t use the splash pads, I have no idea quite how that works but I can tell you that they operate between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Dofasco Splash Pad (Spencer Smith Park) operates between 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Dofasco splash pad in Spencer Smith Park is operational at 10 am and closes at 9 pm.

That 9 pm close is a decent time. Tucker the kids out in the splash pad and they should fall is asleep quickly.

There will not be a city sponsored fireworks display on Victoria Day

By Pepper Parr

May 19th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Burlington’s city council made it clear sometime ago that they were not big fans on firework.

Mayor Meed Ward was quite comfortable saying – NO – not in Burlington if you don’t mind.

Knowing that wouldn’t hold Council kept fireworks displays to one a year – on Canada Day – July 1st.

Only on Canada Day

Burlington may have the wittiest Council in Ontario.

By Blair Smith

May 19th, 2023

BURLINGTON ON

My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
What day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time;
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief.…
(Hamlet, Act-2, Scene-2, lines 86–92)

Well, to be a bit of a wag about it, judging from the Council meeting of May 16th, Burlington may have the wittiest Council in Ontario.

The actual business part of the meeting lasted less than an hour and the end was greeted with great good cheer by all those around the horseshoe table – and that was everyone except the absent Shawna Stolte. She is becoming more like Ophelia every day.

During this very brief but apparently extremely productive time:

• 3 items were approved from the May 2nd Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee
• 9 items were approved from the May 3rd, Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee
• 5 items were approved from the May 4th Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee
• Burlington Council’s support to the AMO proposed Legislative Amendments to Improve Municipal Codes of Conduct and Enforcement (keep our Councillors safe please) was approved, and
• 3 by-laws were approved

City Council moved to a virtual mode during the pandemic and has decided to continue doing virtual meetings which has changed the tone of Council meetings and significantly reduced the number of delegations made.

And all this was done with no debate, no delegations, no questions, virtually no comment and in total unanimity.

Does this not speak volumes of the total alignment of our representatives, how all wards (with some jostling around the space currently allocated to ward 2) have lined up in happy unison answering the municipal muster?

Or is it more a reflection of the rather disappointing fact that all these items were put on the Consent Agenda and none were considered complex or uncertain enough to deserve further discussion?

The types of items that generally appear on the Consent Agenda are non-controversial or routine items that are discussed at every meeting. They can also be items that have been previously discussed at length where there is group consensus. However, to have twenty substantive items marshalled into Consent is highly unusual. It also has the effect of ensuring that there is no further public debate. Matters on the Consent Agenda do not generate or invite delegations.

This may come back to haunt Council if any of these items – so summarily swept into the “done” margin – come back, as several surely will, to suggest that due diligence was not performed.

The ability to communicate with not only the people in her ward when she was Councillor forward ward 2 but with almost everyone in the city made it possible for Marianne Meed Ward to become Mayor. That capacity to communicate so effectively no longer seems to be there.

I imagine that the response from Council will be something to the effect that “all the discussion was done at the Standing Committee level so there was no need for further debate”. But I think that this is misguided.

When it comes to public policy, more open conversation is always better. Particularly, when the subjects include such things as the proposed changes to the Jo Brant Board of Directors (where there is clearly a difference of viewpoint between the Mayor and Councillor Kearns), very expensive sole source purchases or the status of the LaSalle Park negotiations.

Brevity may, indeed, be “the soul of wit” but the absence of complete and open dialogue is most certainly the ‘enemy of an informed public’.

Related news story:

How Council decided it wanted to work with the hospital after it no longer had a seat on the Board

JBH Healing Garden Enhances Mental Health and Addiction Care

By Staff

May 19th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) has transformed a courtyard outside its Mental Health and Addictions Unit into a healing garden to improve the care experience for patients.

The project was a collaborative effort by the hospital’s clinical and redevelopment teams, and JBH’s Mental Health and Addictions Patient Family Advisory Council (MHA PFAC).

“We believe the garden allows us to provide an enhanced level of person-centred care. We always strive to meet the care needs each person on an individual level,” said Jack Mahoney, a Recreational Therapist who works in the inpatient unit.

“Having the garden available to our patient population allows us to tap into this set of interests in a meaningful way. In the process of empowering the population we serve; the garden provides an opportunity for a sense of autonomy among our clients pertaining the space they occupy.”

Jack Mahony: Recreational Therapist who works in Joseph Brant Hospital’s Mental Health and Addictions inpatient unit.

The new healing gardens creates an environment that promotes wellness and provides patients with an opportunity to engage in goal-oriented activities. Last summer patients grew tomatoes, zucchinis, radishes, chard, marigolds, kale, chives and cabbages. The space also features a gazebo with seating for relaxation and socializing, a calming water feature and benches, as well as plants that are indigenous to the area.

The MHA PFAC, an advisory council that was established in keeping with JBH’s commitment to patient and family engagement, made the recommendation to build the garden as part of its role to enhance patient-centred care at the hospital.

“The recent project to convert the courtyard into a healing garden is a great example of volunteers and hospital staff working together,” said John Reynolds, Chair of the MHA PFAC. “We felt it was vital to the recovery of patients to have access a natural setting and the message of hope it provides.”

Joseph Brant Hospital’s Mental Health Services program provides a Full-Continuum Model of Care, planned and designed according to needs of the patients in our community and in alignment with provincial and regional mental health priorities and directives.

Splash pads open tomorrow

By Staff

May 19^th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

In time for the Victoria Day long weekend, the City’s nine splashpads will be open by Saturday, May 20.

It doesn’t get much better than this!

The splash pads will stay open until the fall.

Splash pads are located throughout the city and are free to use. To find a splash pad near you, visit burlington.ca/splashpads.

Outdoor Pools

Nelson Pool and Splash Park (4235 New St.) will be opening June 3 with a modified schedule of select weekday morning and weekends until daily programming starts on July 1.

LaSalle Wading Pool and Splash Park (50 North Shore Blvd.) will be opening on June 17, with modified hours of 12:30 to 4 p.m. until June 30 when daily programming begins.

Mountainside Pool and Splash Park’s (2205 Mount Forest Dr.) revitalization will be completed in time for the summer. Reopening plans will be announced soon.

Updated swim schedules can be found at burlington.ca/dropinandplay.

This is how you spell summer.

Renee Kulinski-McCann, Manager of Recreation Services: “We have plenty of outdoor water play activities for kids and adults alike. LaSalle and the splash pads are great options for smaller kids while the full-sized pools offer fun swims, lap swims and lessons for kids and adults. We’ve also got our four indoor pools open in the summer to give our community lots of options to stay cool and enjoy this summer.”

Links and Resources

burlington.ca/pools

burlington.ca/splashpads

Everything You Need to Know About a DUI Arrest in Canada

By Milorad Radak

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

DUI refers to any offence related to driving under the influence, be it from alcohol, drugs or anything that impairs judgment and dexterity.

If you have been charged with DUI in the U.S., this can make entering Canada difficult even if your conviction was expunged or sealed. There may be ways around this however; including applying for Criminal Rehabilitation and getting a Temporary Resident Permit.

DUI arrest in details can be complicated and there are many potential consequences for those who are convicted. It is important to understand your rights and the consequences of a DUI charge in order to make informed decisions about your case.

What is a DUI Arrest?

The RCMP can pull you over and ask you to step out of the car and ask you to walk a straight line. If they are not satisfied they can issue you a ticket or call a tow truck and put your car in a car pound.

DUI (driving under the influence) arrest is an offense in Canada and conviction will result in criminal records, fines and jail time – in some cases even your driver’s license could be suspended or even cancelled.

Criminal convictions can make entering Canada challenging, even if you have since made amends and committed no further offenses. Canada takes DUIs or driving under the influence offences seriously and often deny entry to foreign nationals who have had such convictions in their past.

At Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), any conviction of DUI, DWI, OWI, or DWAI on your record – regardless of when it occurred – can prevent entry to Canada despite being admissible. An experienced admissibility lawyer can help those individuals obtain either a Temporary Resident Permit or Criminal Rehabilitation to gain entry.

What Happens During a DUI Arrest?

DUI (driving under the influence) in Canada is an extremely serious crime that may lead to jail time or other severe penalties, including fatalities and injuries every year from impaired drivers. Border agents recognize this problem and often inquire if US citizens have been arrested or convicted for drunk driving in the past year or so. When answering such inquiries honestly is key – being dishonest will only aggravate matters further.

DUIs and similar charges can take various forms, including DWI, OUI, OWI or DWAI charges in Canada. No matter their name or classification, DUI is often an offence which renders an American inadmissible due to criminal considerations.

Police in Canada are very strict about DUI driving. Scenes like this are very frequent, especially during holiday weekends.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP can detect DUI arrests and convictions from American records, even if the arrest or conviction took place years ago. They can look back as far as 40 years to see what crimes have been committed.

What Are the Penalties for a DUI Arrest?

DUI penalties in Canada can be severe; indeed, they often make entry difficult if there’s been an arrest for this offence. Border officials have complete discretion in their decision about granting entry based on how old the conviction is and can make their decision depending on how old it is.

As long as your DUI offence occurred more than 10 years ago, it is possible to enter the country with one. You will need either to secure a Temporary Resident Permit or be found Criminally Rehabilitated before entering. Since this can be a lengthy process, having a professional lawyer guide you is highly recommended.

Failure to do the breathalizer test will mean immediate arrest and the impounding of you vehicle.

Canadian courts will impose both fines and jail sentences upon repeat offenders who cause no injuries; even first time offenders who cause no physical damage could face imprisonment if circumstances escalated further. You could lose your driving privileges and may need to install an interlock device after conviction.

What Can I Do After a DUI Arrest?

Many Americans may be shocked to learn that even minor DUI offences such as traffic tickets can prevent entry to Canada despite having been misdemeanours, since Canadian laws define DUI as “dangerous operation”, not simply alcohol or drug intoxication. This means someone could be stopped at the border even if they do not intend to drive; similarly civil DUI infractions like DWAI or OWI may prevent entry as well.

Criminal Rehabilitation can also prevent admittance into Canada. Although there are ways around this restriction, such as applying for a Temporary Resident Permit or Criminal Rehabilitation permit, both are time consuming processes which require advance planning in order to be successful. It is advisable that legal representation handle these processes from start to finish to meet all their stringent requirements successfully.

Just how far does Google reach into your pocket or purse? You may not want to know

By Pepper Parr

May 18th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Just how far does Google reach into your pocket or purse?

Most people know what Googles does – but I suspect most people don’t realize just how much they do – or put another way – how deeply into your pocket their hands go.
Something to keep in mind is that Google is an advertising company.

They need to know as much about you as they can so they can direct advertising that will appeal to you.

They are able to do that because every time you use one of their services they are collecting information about you.

What can you do about that?

Not very much on an individual level. Governments at the highest level are really the only people that can make changes.

The real changes that are being made are in Europe where the European Union – a level of government that has representation from most of the European countries – the big exception is the UK – which pulled out when the vote on Brexit too place. Brexit is short for Britain exiting.

All more than you think you need to know.

The only hope we have is that Canada will begin to follow the lead that the Europeans are showing. Hard to do when our neighbour to the south is home to some of the best software the world has seen.

That will leave you with something to think about.

Think about the number of zeros in a billion.

Council wanted some leverage on hospital spending and service - insisting the CEO keep residents informed would be a good place to start

By Pepper Parr

May 18th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The Joseph Brant Hospital Board of Directors had sent the City Clerk a notice setting out governance changes the hospital Board had made that they wanted the city to endorse.

In a written notice to the City Clerk they asked:

THAT Council for the City of Burlington endorse the Joseph Brant Hospital Board of Directors decision to discontinue the Municipal Representative seat on the Hospital Board and THAT the Hospital commits to continuing its engagement and ongoing positive relationship with the City of Burlington.

That was the piece of business before a Council Standing Committee that then proceeded to squabble for more than an hour on how the they should respond and what they should do to ensure that as a Council they had some control and perhaps leverage when dealing with hospital matters.

To fully understand how the conversation you need to understand that every member of Council is also a Deputy Mayor with a specific portfolio. There is an additional kind of Deputy Mayor as well – in place to serve when the real Mayor is not available for Ceremonial events. Confusing – you bet it is.

Barbara Elliott board vice chair Joseph Brant Hospital was available to answer any questions members of Council might have had about the changes the hospital made and they endorsement they were seeking.

City Council was not happy with the report the hospital sent to the City Clerk. They wanted quite a bit more input and influence than the hospital was suggesting. However, Council didn’t want that input and influence to be all that public.

With the report in front of them Committee Chair Galbraith then asked: “ Are there any questions for Barbara or for staff? Seeing none, he asked: “will a member like to move this item?

Councillor Sharman moved the report, which was before Council as a Read and File

“Are there any comments? Asked the Chair

Councillor Kearns: “I’d like to table the amendment that I’ve circulated to the Clerk.

And that is when the meeting got interesting. Council appears to have decided that they would have to go along with what the hospital board wanted but they were going to put in place a series of required meetings that would allow council to stay close to the Hospital board and be able to have both input and influence.

The single annual meeting, which the hospital suggested, was not what this council had in mind.

Getting to the point where they had a response the hospital request was torturous.

Councillor Kelvin Galbraith: Chaired the meeting.

Would you like to read that amendment into the record Councillor Kearns asked Chair Galbraith?

The amendment was:

To direct the office of the mayor to conduct, on a biannual basis, a joint meeting with the hospital board Chair, Vice Chair and CEO with the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Recreation and Community culture to discuss any pertinent matters; Angelo Bentivegna is the Deputy Mayor for Recreation Community and Culture.

Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns put an amendment on the table and did her best to ensure that it didn’t get too watered down.

“The rationale behind this is” said Kearns, “about opportunity to discuss pertinent matters outside of the cycle of reporting into Council.

“I view this as a transitional approach to the change. The ex officio seat on the hospital board which Mayor Meed Ward served on when she was a Council member; the position has also been held by myself, and Councillors Sharman and Bentivegna, who is the current council representative.

“We should keep the conversation going while still recognizing the efforts in good governance that the board has brought forward to us by way of this report.

Chair: There are a couple of questions coming. We’ll start with Councillor Sharman who said: I really appreciate the amendment. Might I make a suggestion that includes the mayor and council. The reason I’d say that is because every single one of us, as deputy mayors have a significant interest in what’s going on.

“And as we move into the stage of growing the community substantially over the next 20 to 30 years we need to make sure our community is looked at it from a healthcare perspective. And I think we have a significant reason to want to talk to them in general.”

Councillor Bentivegna; He is the current city representative on the hospital board – that was about to come to an end.

Councillor Bentivegna pointed out that there was a time when the Joseph Brant Foundation and the Hospital Auxiliary were on the Board.

In determining what they would set up as a meeting structure Council had to ensure that it was not bumping up against the number of councillors taking part – more than three would constitute a quorum (that would be four members) which would make it a public meeting – which wasn’t what this council wanted to see taking place.

Kearns in her usual zippy use of language said: We can meet up to three without busting quorum.

Mayor Meed Ward at one point said she was not going to support an amendment – it would damage her reputation.

Mayor Meed Ward added: “We could modify this amendment to have a biannual meeting and make sure that the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor for Recreation Community and Culture and whoever the deputy mayor is for ceremonial be invited to that meeting; that might be a way to thread the needle and I would offer that language then as an amendment to the amendment.

Chair Galbraith: I actually do like the mayor’s amendment. I have the hospital in my ward and I certainly deal with a handful of situations; resident issues surrounding the hospital, and I don’t really have that sort of conduit to communicate with the hospital – I’m definitely open to being included in in a couple of meetings a year.

Kearns: Happy to support a friendly amendment that includes and ceremonial and that would give everyone a turn at an appropriate time while maintaining the consistency of one be the mayor as well as the mayor. So if everyone’s fine with that, as well as the hospital of course I’m happy to move this forward.

Sherman. “I’ve been thinking about the need for everybody to be there all the time. I actually believe that the healthcare system is changing so dramatically and will have such a profound effect on our community over the next 30 years. That we need to take a leadership role on this as well.

“I would I would suggest that the mayor be there and invite others as necessary. And if she needs a Clerk there, she can get a Clerk there. That would be my suggestion.

Meed Ward: “I’m very interested to hear from the Clerk about what we might be able to do. My sense is that if there is a full counsel present, then those meetings are, would have to be constituted in a very formal manner and public and recorded and all of that and it notwithstanding a Clerk being present, I don’t know that we can have the same kind of dialogue.

“So we’re talking kind of about two separate things, one that’s kind of a touch base meeting which is not a Council meeting and then there’s the twice a year touch base meeting that includes all of Council.”

City Clerk Kevin Arjoon

Clerk: The response to your question, Mayor, through the Chair. Yeah, if there is a majority of council at a meeting, it would constitute a council meeting.

Mayor: Maybe we could refer this to legal counsel and have the clerk work on some language. Think it through. In general I’m okay with the idea. I just think it needs some improvement.

Kearns.”So this should be very simple – it is before you right now. Everyone has the opportunity to reach out to the hospital for their own interests or concerns. These are high level conversations around any pertinent matters. If anyone has a project or customer based or logistics operations they can be supported directly with the help of the CEO or patient services. They have always maintained a very strong open line of communication. I see this as a transition and I’m looking for some additional oversight.”

It didn’t get any better. It looked as if they were going to be able to settle it and move on.

Kearns: It’s all very simple.

Chair: I’m happy to take the vote at any time and if it fails, we can look at it again at Council

They weren’t there yet

Mayor Meed Ward: “So the only way today, if we want to try to get closer to consensus is, that it’s the mayor, the deputy mayor and then one additional member of council to be determined based on the needs that are being discussed at the time.”

Kearns: “I can modify it once again.”

Kearns: “I can modify it once again.”

Direct the office of the mayor to conduct a biannual basis on a biannual basis a joint meeting with the JBH, Board Chair, Vice Chair and CEO with the mayor and the Deputy Mayor of recreation and community culture, and the ceremonial deputy mayor and any additional council members depending on topics to discuss any pertinent matters.

Chair asks: “Is that how you wanted it to read Councillor Kearns?”

Kearns: “I think Mayor Meed Ward wants to change it actually.”

Meed Ward: “Okay, so I won’t be supporting not getting a ceremonial deputy mayor because that allows for equity and rotation which was the point in the first place. So dropping that and just making pointed members based on topics will squeeze out anyone that may not have an opportunity otherwise.

“I’m not interested in putting my reputation on the line to violate the municipal act and closed door meetings and open meetings.”

City Clerk Yeah, I think passing an amendment is great

Kearns: I think this might help bring us closer to consensus. We can all agree that it was very important that you have the opportunity to serve on the hospital board. In light of this governance change that is no longer possible.

Sharman: “Well, I hate to drag this on.

Sharman: “Well, I hate to drag this on. I have the greatest regard for both council members. This is amendment that will last forever. This makes no sense to me. I’m happy that the Deputy Mayor of Recreation Community and Culture be there for the term he would have had, but it makes no sense to be allocating roll into an amendment. So So I would say we’re going to save for the next term or what I it’s, I’m sorry, this is not working for me. The inclusions that roll unless you put it in for the next, you know, to end at the end of 2026. So I just leave that back with you.”

Meed Ward: “If I could just jump in I kind of share that. That concern. I’m not quite sure one person is being signalled out here. I just don’t get it but I sort of had the same concern. So pass that back to you Councillor Kearns.”

Kearns: Thanks, happy to put it to 2026. Also note we have a massive review of agencies, boards, commissions and all functions in and around those coming up. So anything on the table can change at that time. With our agencies, boards and commissions are in perpetuity, apart for the sake of speeding this along, I’m happy to include for this term.

Meed Ward: “ I support that too. To have a term limited and I would just suggest the Clerk make it clear that it’s so after the Deputy Mayor of Recreation, Community and Culture for the balance of the 22 to 2026 term.

“I’m looking around the room and I think we’re all nodding so we may well have landed this awesome.”

Chair: So now to call the vote on item 4.1, as amended regarding amendments to the Joseph brand hospital administrative bylaws.

Sharman: ” We had talked about whether or not we wanted an official briefing in public session during a council meeting twice a year or once a year. I’m open to either but we would need another amendment for that if council wants to have two briefings in council setting for the public So if no one feels the need for twice a year formally in council, then we can just leave it and carry on. And I’m not tabling that because I’m not I’m not seeing hands.

Chair. Seeing no further comments. I will now call the vote for item 4.1 Regarding amendments to Joseph Brant Hospital administrative bylaws

Making sure she controlled as much as she could Councillor Kearns said:”My apologies chair. I got caught up in amendment discussion and forgot that I did have comments on the overall piece which I will make now.

Kearns:”My apologies chair. I got caught up in amendment discussion and forgot that I did have comments on the overall piece which I will make now.
.
The board has a governance oversight responsibility and absolutely needs to be a skills based board based on the strategic plan and master plan of the hospital at any given time. So I think there is perhaps some additional conversation we can have with the community about the role of the board and the role of Patient Relations and where the city and city council members fit in. So we’ll continue to have those conversations both formally informally and at Council. And I just want to assure the public that nothing is lost in this transition.

Sharman: “But in terms of the relationship between the city and the board we shouldn’t be at that level. We shouldn’t be involved. The hospital is capable of doing that all by itself and it does a wonderful job so I’m not there for that for that, but when it comes to the overall community and how it’s developing, which I think is going to be significant in the next few years. So we have to be involved for in a different way. And that is the way we represent our community into that board. I do have access and I do have conversations already. That’s not my concern. My concern is not me it’s about the city and the community. And that was why I’ve been speaking the way I have but I am satisfied with the outcome.

Chair: Seeing no further comments, I will now call the vote. All those in favour reminder to raise your hands.

After more than an hour of offering amendments to amendments of the recommendation that would go to Council the following was passed with a vote that was unanimous.

Approve the recommendation regarding a recent Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) compliance exercise, and proposed amendments to Joseph Brant Hospital Administrative By-laws; and

Endorse the Joseph Brant Hospital Board of Directors decision to discontinue the Municipal Representative seat on the Joseph Hospital Board; and
Adopt a practice of inviting the Joseph Brant Hospital Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer to annually to a Council meeting to provide updates on the Hospital and its future directions; and
Direct the office of the Mayor to conduct on a bi-annual basis a joint meeting with the JBH Board Chair, Vice Chair and CEO with the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Recreation and Community Culture for the balance of the 2022 – 2026 term plus one additional member of council to discuss any pertinent matters.

And – it was done. It is difficult in a written report to appreciate the tension between Councillor Kearns and the Mayor.

What is even more difficult is that when the matter got to council there was not a single word said about telling the public what had changed and why – and what Council had done to keep their finger on the scale to ensure that the hospital didn’t forget that the public, represented by Council needed a voice.

Community Development has announcements: moving and a new Executive at the Helm

By Staff

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Community Development Halton is going through yet another change.

No hard information at this point but the notice of the meeting mentions new locations and the chance to pick up some gently used office furniture that needs a new home!

Meet their new(est) Executive Director, learn about our new offerings through Social Planning and Volunteer Halton.

Bonus for those who come in person:

To register for the on-line event click HERE

City Clerk washes his hands over looking into the extraordinarily high bank charges reported by Ward 1 Councillor

By Pepper Parr

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

A follow up on the bank charges story we published earlier this week.

The Clerk didn’t get back to us – he passed us along to Communications who came back with:

City Clerk Kevin Arjoon: Not my responsibility

The issue identified falls outside the scope of the jurisdiction of the Clerk to review. In terms of the process, we review the form to ensure that it has the appropriate auditor report (if required) that the candidate does not owe any money to the municipality, and attest the oath on page 1 of the form.

At the end of the day, the onus falls back on the candidate – or contributor, as case may be, to be accountable. If there are questions from members of the public, an application filed by an elector of the municipality with the Compliance Audit Committee seeking an audit of the candidate’s financials.

A candidate appears to be able to say anything they want, just is as long is as they attest to what they put on the form.

The Municipal Act is clear. A bank account for an election campaign is a must. Councillor Galbraith does not appear to have created a bank account set up strictly for the purposes of handling the funds received and used in an election campaign.

If he did – he might want to explain why his bank charges were higher (five time higher) than any other candidate.

Councillor Bentivegna also appears to not have opened a bank account; his election was funded by his family who put in $1000 each from four people.

If you want to complain – reach out to the Compliance Audit Committee. You must be an elector to file a complaint – but you don’t have to live in ward 1 – anywhere in the city will do.

Link to the Compliance Audit Committee is here

You have until September 2nd to file a complaint.

Interesting to note that if you don’t like the decision that Committee makes you can appeal it to the Ontario Court of Justice.

Related news stories:

Part 4: Why were the bank charges so high for Ward 1 candidate?

Does what a candidate does during an election matter; it’s all about winning isn’t it.

Burlington Green holds a very successful Electronic recycling event

By Pepper Parr

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

It’s a not for profit organization that has proven to be very adept at getting grants from the Trillium Foundation.

They have a superb reputation and a very clear mission – Save the Planet and take care of the environment.

Kale Black, second from the right. The amount of items to be recycled was significant – obviously meeting a need.

They have managed to attract several of the world leaders on environment issues: David Suzuki and Dame Jane Morris Goodall have both taken part if Burlington Green events in Burlington

Their mission, their focus and their activities resonate with the people of Burlington who turn out in the thousands every year to clean up and green up the city.

They recruit hundreds of young people who do the dirty work after major events at Spencer Smith Park where they help clean up the park and make sure the garbage is readied for a trip to a dump.

Burlington Green head office – located in a part of the city they have done some very significant environmental work.

The now have a “head office” located in the heritage Pump House at the edge of the lake in the Beachway.

They seem to have found a new niche that the public finds very useful. Last weekend they held am electronic recycle collection – loads of stuff was dropped off – far more than was originally expected.

A group of Environmental Warriors get their picture taken is as they pack up electronic items that were dropped off.

The Conflict in ward 1 is within the Councillor who does not appear to fully understand his Oath to represent the people of Aldershot

By Pepper Parr

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

Part 4 of a series

On the morning of October 20th, 2018 Kelvin Galbraith sent Tom Muir an email which Muir made available to us.

Fully two days before the election, Galbraith clearly described the way he saw himself as a candidate, as an Aldershot businessman and as a resident of Ward 1.

Although it is lengthy, we include the full text of the email because it is totally transparent and very clear.

“Hi Tom

“With regards to intensification in Aldershot, I have been consistent in my discussions with people that there is more coming and there is very little that this new council will be able to do in terms of stopping the progress. I have instead, taken the position that I will work with the developers—- to give our ward 1 residents what they have been missing – which is adequate retail and food operations.

“Currently the new official plan zones the south side of Plains road from Lasalle to Filmandale at 6 stories and the new mobility hub has a variation of zoning that allows for higher density as the distance from Plains increases. Currently very few candidates or past councillors have objected to this zoning as we will need to grow somewhere moving forward and have run out of green land in which to cover with urban sprawl. I have consistently said that our 6 story cap should be honoured on Plains road as these projects back on to our residential neighbourhoods.

“The new official plan changes at the Solid Gold site and allows for higher density (11 stories) due to its proximity to the GO station/mobility hub. I am uncomfortable with this height on Plains road but I want to be realistic with people and let them know that a project of that size, close to the mobility hub, will likely pass at council whether I vote for it or not.

“Should council not approve that project specifically, then I’m sure that the new LPAT ( OMB) will certainly overriding our councils decision as they have many times in the past. (The OMB became LPAT which in turn became the Ontario Land Tribunal)

“Currently national homes has already filed with LPAT for the bingo hall site to protect their plans from the new council presumably.

“What I have been advocating for during this campaign is for better retail options on Plains road. Having chaired the Aldershot BIA for the past 11 years, we have seen a diminishing retail sector. Every new development promises main floor retail and when it’s complete we release just how small and inadequate it really is. I want to fight for larger store sizes, better parking options, and more food operations (grocery, restaurant, pub and coffee shop). Zoning that requires food operations can be implemented into specific sites as I have learned from meetings with Marianne Meed Ward. We need more vibrant spaces for Aldershot residents to socialize and typically food operations are where this is done. I live here too and most of my extended family does as well. We all see the void in entertainment here. Especially in the west end of Aldershot.

E is the property owned by Emshih Developments; A is where the Gym Firm Galbraith owns is located; D and C are properties owned by Galbraith; Bis is a garage.

“With regards to my business property on Plains road and Waterdown road, I have been transparent with people for years. Our land is surrounded by one developer and we have agreed to work with him at such a time when he chooses to develop his property. Our business would be included in a new space within the site. We signed a letter of intent only and have not sold any property as rumours may indicate. Many years may pass still before anything may happen.

“You are correct is saying that I would need to declare a conflict of interest with any developments that include these properties specifically. In the grand scale of all the developable land in ward 1, this piece would represent a very small parcel so I don’t think that it should hinder my ability to serve the constituents in an effective manner on all that may happen in this ward.

“I have already read your supporting letter to Marty Staz where you denounced myself and Judy for our links to developers. I only have my signs on the Station West development as I am actively trying to push him to build us a west end grocery store. If I am elected or not, I will still be working on this issue as my volunteer position with the Aldershot BIA. I just feel that I will have more abilities and a stronger voice as councillor of Ward 1.

“As I have stated in my website and literature, I live here and work here, I know the issues. I have spoken to the public about them both in my business for the past 20 years and canvassing for the past 3 months. I want Aldershot to be a better place to live and am willing to fight for that.

“Thank you for reaching out to me.”

This is about is as honest as it can get; Galbraith is to be commended for setting out his position the way he did. I only wish Muir had shared it is as soon is as he got it. It puts things in perspective and explains a great deal of what Kelvin Galbraith is; not a dishonest man but one who has not understood the considerable difference between private businessman and public official.

The two roles or persona are not incompatible and one can argue that Galbraith’s business experience is a valuable asset as a Councillor. But when ‘in office’ that public role must dominate and shape how one views the world. It is a service function with the primary objective being making the best possible decisions for the community of citizens that one represents – not being the voice of a particular interest group.

The problem now for Galbraith is that a number of developers have chosen to make significant donations to his 2022 election campaign – so much so that he has come to be seen as their spokesman and not well aligned to the broader interests of his Ward.

That is not a good place for a City Councillor

The targeted funding Galbraith has received will soon become barnacles on the public view of his ability to effectively represent them; to his ability to understand and further the broad spectrum of interests and concerns in the community. Barnacles can be removed and Galbraith still has some time to change the perception. The question then is: Does he want to change how many people see him and does he know how?

Galbraith sees himself as a good business man who understands retail economics and has networked with the commercial sector. He got into politics, we believe, because he felt he could make a difference and draw some of the commercial activity he believes Aldershot needed and still needs. Eleven years on the local Business Improvement Association will do that to you; but five years sitting around the Council horseshoe table will temper your expectations and dull the enthusiasm.

Kelvin Galbraith being sworn in after being elected in October of 2022

The minute Kelvin Galbraith raised his right hand while taking the Oath of Office he became a different man with a different constituency that he swore he would serve.

I don’t believe Galbraith set out to be the shill for the developers. He saw himself as someone who could get things done and the Ward 1 electorate agreed – twice.

However, in the final analysis, the developers did not elect him. They simply recognized a kindred spirit and conscripted him to support their objectives and their community of interest. Galbraith represented an opportunity and they gladly took advantage.

Galbraith may ‘change his spots’ but it’s rather unlikely. He is not comfortable in a very complex role and does not recognize the inherent conflict. However, the citizens of Ward 1 should recognize the conflict and act accordingly.

They need to hold their Councillor accountable for his actions and his relationships.

They need to take responsibility for being informed.

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.

Deer have become part of the streetscape

By Staff

May 17th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

That would be a picture window.

It’s a little early for a lawn ornament but there it was; checking out the neighbourhood just east of the downtown core.

The deer are not dangerous; the run when approached.

The problem is where do they run to – they don’t appear to be aware of traffic. Probably best to let them move on in their own sweet time.

The sighting earlier this week was in the west end.

Just checking out the street.

Related news story
Deer seen in the Aldershot community.

Victoria Day - May 22nd

By Staff

May 16th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The holiday is an occasion to celebrate the sovereign. Queen Victoria ruled at a time when the world went through incredible changes.

City of Burlington administrative services will be closed for Victoria Day on Monday, May 22.

For a list of which City services and facilities are available on the Victoria Day holiday, please see the summary below or visit burlington.ca.

Fireworks reminder
A reminder that fireworks are permitted to be set off on Victoria Day only (May 22). Please continue to use our valued outdoor spaces responsibly. The City’s bylaw regulates where and when residents can set off family (low-hazard) fireworks. For more information about who to contact if you have a concern, visit burlington.ca/fireworks.