 By Pepper Parr
December 13th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Meed Ward recently submitted a Letter to the Editor of the Hamilton Spectator which went as follows:
Democracy is not dead. But we can never take it for granted
There goes democracy. It was nice while it lasted Dec. 5
It would be tempting to give in to despair and give up on democracy, after reading Joan Little’s bleak column of Dec. 5.
But I’m appealing to everyone not to give up. Democracy hasn’t left us — but it doesn’t happen on its own. We have to fight for the democracy we want and believe in.
That means learning about the issues from credible sources, though this is harder than ever to come by in an ocean of information and often misinformation.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward presiding over a council meeting. Despite assertions in the column, mayors do not have “absolute autonomy” on operating and capital budgets. In fact, local councils have the last word.
Under new provincial legislation, mayors are now required to either produce a budget or direct staff to do so. In both Burlington and Hamilton, mayors chose to direct staff to prepare a budget.
You can read those mayoral decisions here:
Burlington — https://www.burlington.ca/en/council-and-city-administration/resources/Council/Mayoral-Decisions/Mayoral-Decisions-Made/Mayoral-Decision-16-2024.pdf
Hamilton — https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/default/files/2024-10/MDI-2024-03_Mayoral%20Directive%20to%20Staff_2025%20Budget.pdf
Councils, by majority vote, can amend the budget. This is democracy — and a voice and a vote on budgets for councillors and the people they represent is retained.
Mayors can override any council amendments.
 Council meeting during the pandemic. But the last word goes to councils — by a two-thirds majority, councils can override any mayoral veto. In Burlington, that means persuading just one more colleague of the merits of your position.
Certainly, it can be debated whether a higher vote threshold to override a veto is appropriate, although there is a long democratic tradition of some votes requiring a two-thirds majority; for example, to reconsider previous votes of council.
These are important debates to have; but we won’t be able to have them in a thoughtful and informed manner if everyone has already thrown in the towel due to misinformation or misperception of what is — and isn’t — at stake.
This isn’t a defence of the new legislation, simply an acknowledgment that until and unless it is changed, it’s the law, and we are all required to do our best to preserve a public voice and council input into budgets.
So let’s turn our minds to that.
The columnist muses “why even elect councils — councils have been emasculated.”
Except they haven’t. The business of the city still proceeds by way of majority vote — including, as noted above, on budgets. In Burlington, city council voted this week on more than 31 motions that advance city business, on everything from fare-free transit, Sound of Music festival funding, flood mitigation strategies, projects for the Municipal Accommodation Tax, seasonal patios, council size and ward boundary reviews, and several residential and commercial development applications. That’s just one month of business at the city.
The two biggest threats to democracy are misinformation and voter apathy. So take the time to learn about the issues at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, from credible sources, and from a variety of perspectives. Verify assertions. Engage in the debate.
Most importantly, get involved in elections. There are likely two next year — provincial and federal — with the municipal election a year after that. Volunteer for a campaign, donate, attend a debate and most importantly — vote.
Unlike the sky is falling assertions in the column, democracy is not dead. But we can never take our democracy for granted.
While I share some of the concerns raised about provincial, and even federal, overreach into municipal matters, the solution isn’t to conclude democracy is dead, but to fight for the government — and representatives — we want.
We must remain vigilant and involved. We don’t live in a dictatorship and you get to vote for who you want to represent your interests. You’ll have multiple opportunities in the next 24 months. Make them count. Otherwise, the voices of others speak for you.
Voices of others eh!:
Here is an example, written by Stephen White, which goes some distance in explaining why people don’t vote and how poorly the current council is performing.
The Mayor and Councillor Nisan talk about “respect”. In their rarefied and genteel environment, respect is characterized by universal agreement, nuanced communications, tacit agreement and blind acquiescence. What they can’t comprehend is that respect cuts two ways.
 Stephen White
“Respect” also means acknowledging and recognizing that not everyone will agree with you 100% of the time. It means actually listening to what is being said during delegations, and not paying “lip service”. It means hearing not just the words but the intent of what is being said by those delegating. It means Councillors who actually look at those delegating rather than texting on their phones. It means city officials who actually check information to ensure it is accurate before releasing it to the public.
It is being transparent enough, and open enough, to acknowledge that there is a clear and distinct difference between a blended property tax rate and the rate of increase that the city is directly responsible for.
It means responding in a timely manner to citizen questions, and not having to be constantly reminded repeatedly of the need to do so (remember Jim Barnett’s delegation? I do. Of course, I and others were actually listening).
Lost in this maelstrom is the fact that Eric Stern presented 14 pages of costs savings and possible reductions that the city could initiate. Who at city hall is investigating that, and who is following up to see if any of these ideas are researched and investigated? Answer: probably no one. Silence. Crickets. Something else is falling through the cracks.
If MMW and this Council want “respect” they might actually try practicing it first and setting an example before preaching about it so sanctimoniously and upbraiding those with the courage to disagree.
By Staff
December 13th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Angus Reid Institute, a public polling organization that is multi-national in its out-reach reported this morning that:
Percentage saying they’re ‘very proud’ to be Canadian has dropped from 78% to 34% since 1985
The years since the onset of COVID-19 have been a well-documented period of division and discord in this country, with Canadians expressing concerns about the weakening compassion and growing space between Canadians.
 New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute find two broad trends underscoring these changes and signalling a challenge for national unity.
In 2016, 62 per cent of Canadians said they had a deep emotional attachment to Canada. In 1991 that mark was three points higher (65%). Now in 2024 it is 13 points lower at 49 per cent.
Even more dramatic is a drop in a sense of pride among Canadians. In 1985, 78 per cent said they were “very proud” to be Canadian. This dropped to 52 per cent in 2016 and now by another 18 points to 34 per cent.
The proportion who say they are either proud or very proud of their nationality has dropped precipitously from 79 per cent to 58 per cent over the past eight years.
This data puts the Trump comment about Canada becoming a 51st state in a different light.
For a deeper dive into the data Click HERE.
 By Staff
December 13th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Someone is going to take home a lot of money and Food4Kids will feed more kids.
Food4Kids Ontario launched the Food for Kids, Cash for You 50/50 Raffle almost a month ago. They are one week away from the jackpot draw (December 19) with a current take home prize of $700,000. The jackpot is growing by $40,000 every day.
Click HERE for tickets
 
-
-
- 1 in 4 kids live in a household without enough access to food.
- 27% increase in Food4Kids programs in 2023.
- Food4Kids receives no government funding as part of student nutrition funding.
- $500,000 in ticket sales in first four days for a chance at Taylor Swift tickets.
What does this money mean for Food4Kids:
-
-
- Every $39,000 feeds another 50 kids every weekend all year long.
- $500,000 adds 12 more schools and 600 more kids to our program.
- Grow Food4Kids by an additional two Chapters in Ontario.
School nutrition programs feed kids during the school day, but there is a clear gap: Kids living in deep poverty go hungry on the weekends. Since 2012, Food4Kids has been filling this gap with the Weekends Without Hunger and Summer programs to keep kids fed all year round.
There are now chapters in Halton, Hamilton, Mississauga, Muskoka, Niagara, and Toronto providing healthy food packages to more than 4,100 children.
Click HERE for 50/50 raffle tickets
 By Pepper Parr
December 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
We erred.
We tripped over Peter J. Van Dyk and his son Peter W. Van Dyk Both are part of PV&V Insurance Centre Ltd., a family owned and operated insurance brokerage based in Burlington, Ontario.
Peter J. Van Dykwas was at one time actively involved in Sound of Music. Peter W. Van Dyk has never been involved with the Sound of Music organization. He is however a musician.
Our apologies to Peter W – we missed the differences.
 Peter W. Van Dyk The Burlington Performing Arts Centre Board of Directors named Peter W. Van Dyk their new Board Chair by acclamation at their meeting on November 28, 2024. Van Dyk replaces Ken Smithard, who has served on the Board since 2016 and whose term concluded at the end of November. Van Dyk was born and raised in Burlington and is an insurance professional with PV&V Insurance Centre Ltd. Prior to starting his career in insurance, he was active as a musician locally and toured Ontario and Canada.
 Ken Smithard, “On behalf of the Board, staff, and volunteers, I want to thank Ken for his dedicated service on the Board over the past eight years, and especially for his steady guidance through the transitions of the past year. He leaves the Board well positioned for 2025 and will be missed. BPAC has an amazing team of staff and volunteers, and I look forward to announcing our new Executive Director early in the New Year, to lead BPAC into its next chapter,” says Van Dyk.
In addition, Jim Thompson has been acclaimed to the position of Vice Chair and Chair of the Governance, Ethics and Human Resources Committee; James Sweetlove has been appointed to the position of Corporate Secretary; Deirdre Flynn has been appointed Recording Secretary; Carrie Gervais has been appointed Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, and Stephen Bell has been appointed Chair of the Development and Relationship Committee.
The Board, staff and volunteers at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre look forward to welcoming patrons from the Burlington community and beyond to our holiday concerts and the second half of our season in 2025.
Lucy White, is in place serving as Interim Executive Director.
Peter W. Van Dyk has in the past served on the Board of the Sound of Music. We have not been able to reach Mr. Van Dyk for comment.
The Gazette has heard from people who are volunteers. The comments they made in the Gazette are set out below.
 Hundreds of volunteers make the Sound of Music Festival work – two of them mark the location for a vendor. This was never more true than in 2018 when a mass exodus of volunteers, staff (and all of their collective knowledge) occurred because a corrupt board fired the long serving ED who was running a very successful and fiscally responsible festival. That entire group could not bring ourselves to bust our collective @$$es all year long for the clowns who took over the BoD. We tried to bring this forward by writing a very detailed letter to council and the mayor back then, but they either said that it was too big to fail, we were blowing it all out of proportion, or flat out ignored us. 6 years later, none of us are surprised by this. We are all sad for what has become of a festival that we all loved.
Interesting…none of this was an issue when Dave Miller was Executive Director, before he was canned by the board.
By Staff
December 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Toronto Star reported today that “Municipal politicians could be fired for serious misconduct — and barred from running for four years — under new legislation introduced by the province.
The move comes in light of efforts by non-partisan advocacy group The Women of Ontario Say No, which brought more than 200 municipalities on board in asking for help to deal with code of conduct violations.
“We had to make sure we got this right, which is why we worked with Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner to find the best path forward to create a standardized code of conduct process across the province,” Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said in a written statement on introducing the new bill.
“This process will support consistent accountability across our municipalities.”
 Can this lot be considered the “usual suspects”? The legislation will give them reason to at least pause. Those found in “serious violation” of the code of conduct could be fired if the municipal integrity commissioner has investigated, and both the local and the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario recommend the move, along with a unanimous vote of all other Councilors.
The act will apply when local politicians’ conduct “that is the subject of the inquiry has resulted in harm to the health, safety or well-being of persons … and the existing penalties are insufficient to address the contravention or ensure that the contravention is not repeated,” the ministry said in a news release.
The Municipal Accountability Act will help set out code of conduct rules, how to handle Integrity Commissioner inquiries and require Councillors and other local elected officials to undergo training.
Last January, the province promised “airtight” legislation to address an issue that municipalities have struggled to deal with, after Progressive Conservative MPPs previously voted down a private member’s bill from Liberal MPP Stephen Blais (Orléans) last year.
 Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra At the time, Calandra had said he needed to “ensure that it’s constitutional, that it does what it’s supposed to do.”
“I don’t want to do something or bring something forward that can, in any way, make it harder for somebody to get the justice that they are seeking, ” he said.
As it now stands, local politicians can be removed from office for campaign finance violations but not for harassing staff, leaving municipalities with no options to address egregious behaviour.
Blais introduced his bill after serving on Ottawa council with Rick Chiarelli, who former staffers said made inappropriate comments, urged them to go braless and shared sexually explicit stories. In the end, Chiarelli was docked pay, but could not be ousted.
Emily McIntosh of The Women of Ontario Say No had said “this is really about workplace safety,” noting that staff in any other sector who harass others can be fired. “We’re talking about people that have the most power in communities held to a lower standard than any other workers in Ontario,” she said.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Ontario Big City Mayors and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association had all asked for help on code of conduct compliance.
Leaders of all opposition parties had also said such legislation is needed
 By Staff
December 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Trevor Copp writes: “A Stag Hunter and his prey, a young man and his lover, an old man and his dog, a woman, a bench, a lamppost, and an umbrella.”
“These are the puzzle pieces that await in ‘Sometimes It Snows in April’ – the result of a rare, deeply satisfying process shot through with chain reactions of creativity.
“Director Ric Knowles (if you saw ‘Bulfinch’s Mythology’ – that’s Ric, one of the best things that’s ever happened to TBT) was handed three stories that started as Mime pieces, the remarkable talent of Actor and Opera singer Bó Bárdos, and the universe of a bench and a lamppost. This piece has come together to create its own tiny, luminous world that opens tomorrow.
 “I wish I could take each person who knows us from our larger works like the summer Shakespeare series and let them see what is possible in original work. If you’ve never been to a workshop presentation of ours – you won’t regret it. Come watch us stumble towards something beautiful.”
Shows are tomorrow/Friday Dec. 13 and Saturday Dec. 14 at 7pm at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. For tickets:
Friday: https://tottering-biped-theatre.s1.yapla.com/en/event-61690
Saturday: https://tottering-biped-theatre.s1.yapla.com/en/event-61726
Parking! So the Conservatory is in a tricky spot for parking – they have lots of space, but it helps to know how to find it. Click on THIS PAGE and scroll down for directions on the best parking.
 By Stephen White
December 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
This article first appeared in the Comments section of the Gazette.
The Mayor and Councillor Nisan talk about “respect”. In their rarefied and genteel environment, respect is characterized by universal agreement, nuanced communications, tacit agreement and blind acquiescence. What they can’t comprehend is that respect cuts two ways.
Stephen White at a public event. “Respect” also means acknowledging and recognizing that not everyone will agree with you 100% of the time. It means actually listening to what is being said during delegations, and not paying “lip service”. It means hearing not just the words but the intent of what is being said by those delegating. It means Councillors who actually look at those delegating rather than texting on their phones. It means city officials who actually check information to ensure it is accurate before releasing it to the public.
It is being transparent enough, and open enough, to acknowledge that there is a clear and distinct difference between a blended property tax rate and the rate of increase that the city is directly responsible for.
It means responding in a timely manner to citizen questions, and not having to be constantly reminded repeatedly of the need to do so (remember Jim Barnett’s delegation? I do. Of course, I and others were actually listening).
 Stephen White speaking to an audience on a local issue Lost in this maelstrom is the fact that Eric Stern presented 14 pages of costs savings and possible reductions that the city could initiate. Who at city hall is investigating that, and who is following up to see if any of these ideas are researched and investigated? Answer: probably no one. Silence. Crickets. Something else is falling through the cracks.
If MMW and this Council want “respect” they might actually try practicing it first and setting an example before preaching about it so sanctimoniously and upbraiding those with the courage to disagree.
Stephen White teaches at a community college and has been active in the community for decades.
By Eric Stern
December 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 BRAG has watched the City of Burlington present a 7.51% Burlington tax increase as 4.97%, 5.76% and now, after the regional and police increases have been approved, 5.82%
The marketing technique used to present a 7.51% Burlington only increase as an ever-changing series of lower numbers, does residents a disservice. Terms like impact and overall are not well understood by the community.
When Burlington talks about the Burlington budget and Burlington taxes the conversation should be about Burington’s 8.3% total property tax increase and 7.51% increase to existing taxpayers.
Communications about the impact on the overall bill should wait until all the other levels of government involved in the overall bill have passed their own budget increases.
Your taxes increased by 7.51% more than 2024.
Halton Regional Council completed its tax rate deliberations on Wednesday. The vote was 15-9 for the increase.
The point of contention was an increase in the Police budget from 13.8 % to 14.3%.
This results in a regional increase of 6.18%, up from the originally forecast 6%
 The regional government added half a million to their budget and then adjourned for a little celebration to recognize the Regional CAO who is retiring. As a result of the budget approval by Halton Regional Council today, the overall tax increase for Burlington in 2025 will now be 5.82 %, up from the projected 5.76% presented at the November 25th Special Council meeting, and the 4.97% presented on November 4th.
Burlington property tax bills are made up of three parts:
- 51 per cent goes to the City of Burlington to fund local services like transit, roads, parks, and public safety.
- 33 per cent goes to Halton Region for regional services like Halton Regional Police Service, waste management, water, and public health.
- 16 per cent goes to the Boards of Education to support local schools.
 City Hall will always use the 5.82 number because it is lower. What matters is the top line 7.51%
What taxpayers care about is: How much are my taxes increasing?
The increase from 2025 to 2025 is 7.51%
City Hall added the following to their media release:
- Work on the City of Burlington’s 2025 budget began in May. Residents, businesses, partners, staff, and all members of council were invited to provide feedback at getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget, the Food for Feedback event, at six in-person consultation meetings in each ward, at a telephone town hall, and during committee and council meetings. This feedback was presented to City Council to allow them to provide feedback on the proposed priority projects and services.
- Public feedback centered on concerns with tax affordability, reducing taxes and prioritizing services such as roads, infrastructure, climate change/environment and affordable housing.
- In June 2024, the 2025 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast Report was presented at Committee of the Whole. Preliminary discussions began in July 2024, and throughout summer, among staff, Council, and the community to help with information sharing and collaboration early on in the process.
- Under new provincial legislation, the city budget process has changed. Mayors are now required to either prepare a budget or direct staff to do so. Councils can amend the proposed budget; Mayors have the option to veto amendments; and councils can override a Mayoral veto by a two-thirds vote. After this process is complete, the budget is deemed approved.
- In Burlington, the Mayor issued a Mayoral Decision in July to direct staff to prepare the budget. This was unanimously endorsed by council.
- Following in-person consultation meetings in September and October, the City published its Proposed Budget on Oct. 25 and presented it to Committee of the Whole Nov. 4 for feedback and public delegationCouncil presented amendments to the budget at a special Budget meeting on Nov. 18, at which time public delegations were again received. The amendments were approved at a Special Council meeting Nov. 25.
- The Mayor did not exercise the veto option and issued a Mayoral Decision, ending the veto period, and as a result the staff-presented, council-amended budget was deemed approved after the Special Council meeting of Nov. 25.
- For Halton Region budgets, staff presented a budget to Regional Council at meetings on Dec. 4 and 11. Regional councillors can bring amendments, as happened today regarding the police budget. Council votes as a whole to approve the budget and any amendments. That work is now complete.
- The Mayor and all six Burlington Councillors sit on the 24-member Halton Regional Council, which includes representatives from Burlington, Halton Hills, Oakville, and Milton.
- Halton Region provides services such as: police, paramedics, health and social services (including housing), services for seniors, water and wastewater, regional roads, waste management, and contributions to Conservation Authorities.
 By Staff
December 12th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Part of Burlington’s Urban Woodlands Steve Robinson, Manager of Burlington’s Urban Forest, reports that he had the unique opportunity to present alongside Tyler Searls and Ben Kuttner today at the 2024 Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) conference. We presented on the merits of Managing Urban Woodlands as Assets, using the City of BNurlington’s Woodland Management Strategy as a case study.
 Starting in 2025, the City will be implementing the City’s Woodland Management Strategy and 37 Forest Management Plans. These plans are integral for the purpose of mitigating tree related risk, addressing invasive species, providing a means for reforestation, and supporting the maintenance of other critical infrastructure like storm water conveyance within our creek block
 By James Porthouse
December 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
This information is not professional investment advice. Investors are advised to do their own research into individual stocks before making an investment decision.
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
|
| Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc —–Buy Quantity: 1,200,000 Average cost: $12.78 Total: $15,331,527.40 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Tang, Kevin |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
500,000 |
$12.88 |
$6,438,901.50 |
| Tang, Kevin |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
400,000 |
$12.76 |
$5,105,786.80 |
| Tang, Kevin |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-05-24 |
300,000 |
$12.62 |
$3,786,839.10 |
|
| ATCO LTD —–Buy Quantity: 162,000 Average cost: $49.20 Total: $7,969,966.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd. |
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
18,100 |
$49.07 |
$888,146.50 |
| Southern-Heathcott, Linda A. |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
18,100 |
$49.07 |
$888,146.50 |
| Southern, Margaret E |
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
18,100 |
$49.07 |
$888,146.50 |
| Southern, Nancy C. |
4 – Director of Issuer, 6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
18,100 |
$49.07 |
$888,146.50 |
| Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd. |
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
22,400 |
$49.30 |
$1,104,345.00 |
| Southern-Heathcott, Linda A. |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
22,400 |
$49.30 |
$1,104,345.00 |
| Southern, Margaret E |
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
22,400 |
$49.30 |
$1,104,345.00 |
| Southern, Nancy C. |
4 – Director of Issuer, 6 – Director or Senior Officer of 10% Security Holder, 7 – Director or Senior Officer of Insider or Subsidiary of Issuer (other than in 4,5,6), 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
22,400 |
$49.30 |
$1,104,345.00 |
|
| Lavras Gold Corp —–Buy Quantity: 253,000 Average cost: $2.41 Total: $610,155.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Raykov, Rostislav Christov |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
253,000 |
$2.41 |
$610,155.00 |
|
| Profound Medical Corp —–Buy Quantity: 20,000 Average cost: $10.63 Total: $212,505.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Menawat, Dr., Arun |
4 – Director of Issuer, 5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-10-24 |
20,000 |
$10.63 |
$212,505.00 |
|
| Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust —–Buy Quantity: 24,000 Average cost: $5.60 Total: $134,332.80 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Morguard Corporation |
3 – 10% Security Holder of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
24,000 |
$5.60 |
$134,332.80 |
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider dispositions in the public market are:
|
| Restaurant Brands International Inc —–Sell Quantity: -92,000 Average cost: $98.45 Total: -$9,057,667.50 Options Issued: 70,000 Average cost: $47.70 Total: $3,339,020.23 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Granat, Jill |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-06-24 |
59,387 |
$47.70 |
$2,832,777.06 |
| Granat, Jill |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
-81,387 |
$98.28 |
-$7,999,022.37 |
| Granat, Jill |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-09-24 |
10,613 |
$47.70 |
$506,243.17 |
| Granat, Jill |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-10,613 |
$99.75 |
-$1,058,645.13 |
|
| Shopify Inc —–Sell Quantity: -15,235 Average cost: $162.81 Total: -$2,480,444.84 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Finkelstein, Harley Michael |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
57 – Exercise of rights |
12-09-24 |
9,564 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Finkelstein, Harley Michael |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-4,951 |
$162.81 |
-$806,083.52 |
| Hertz, Jessica |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
57 – Exercise of rights |
12-09-24 |
11,624 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Hertz, Jessica |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-5,866 |
$162.81 |
-$955,056.74 |
| Hoffmeister, Jeff |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
57 – Exercise of rights |
12-09-24 |
8,247 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Hoffmeister, Jeff |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-3,985 |
$162.81 |
-$648,806.87 |
| Nejatian, Kasra |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
57 – Exercise of rights |
12-09-24 |
17,644 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Shannan, Tobyn David |
4 – Director of Issuer |
57 – Exercise of rights |
12-09-24 |
785 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| Shannan, Tobyn David |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-433 |
$162.81 |
-$70,497.71 |
|
| Bright Minds Biosciences Inc —–Sell Quantity: -25,000 Average cost: $56.47 Total: -$1,411,795.00 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Pedersen, Jan Torleif |
4 – Director of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
-25,000 |
$56.47 |
-$1,411,795.00 |
|
| Element Fleet Management Corp. (formerly Element Financial Corporation) —–Sell Quantity: -33,664 Average cost: $30.00 Total: -$1,009,920.00 Options Issued: 33,664 Average cost: $13.06 Total: $439,651.84 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Halliday, James |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-09-24 |
33,664 |
$13.06 |
$439,651.84 |
| Halliday, James |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-33,664 |
$30.00 |
-$1,009,920.00 |
|
| Birchcliff Energy Ltd —–Sell Quantity: -93,334 Average cost: $5.09 Total: -$474,730.76 Options Issued: 93,334 Average cost: $2.32 Total: $216,534.88 |
| Insider |
Relationship |
Transaction |
Date |
Quantity |
Price |
Total |
| Tran, Hue |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-06-24 |
31,400 |
$2.32 |
$72,848.00 |
| Tran, Hue |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-06-24 |
-31,400 |
$5.02 |
-$157,628.00 |
| Tran, Hue |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-09-24 |
28,600 |
$2.32 |
$66,352.00 |
| Tran, Hue |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-28,600 |
$5.10 |
-$145,860.00 |
| van der Werken, Theo |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
51 – Exercise of options |
12-09-24 |
33,334 |
$2.32 |
$77,334.88 |
| van der Werken, Theo |
5 – Senior Officer of Issuer |
10 – Acquisition or disposition in the public market |
12-09-24 |
-33,334 |
$5.14 |
-$171,242.76 |
What is Insider Trading?
How Insider Trading works.
By Staff
December 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
During the City Council meeting yesterday, the Mayor said, as part of her Personal Privilege remark that:
 “I would like to address comments made at the Special Council meeting on the budget. This is the soonest opportunity, as I was not at that meeting due to attending a funding announcement at the hospital, one of the delegates mused that perhaps our CAO knowingly misrepresented the budget increase percentage. Now normally I don’t repeat personal attacks or defamatory statements, but it’s critically important to clarify what is in bounds and out of bounds when we are aiming for respectful dialog and respect in the workplace.
On that “soonest opportunity” the Mayor attended an event where she didn’t get to say a word. Some believe the Mayor didn’t attend the Council meeting because she was pretty sure Council was going to vote against her on two matters – which they did.
The Burlington Residents’ Action Group (BRAG) replied pointing out that the exact statement made by the delegate was:
“It was interesting to watch Mr. Basit present a 4.97% on November 4th when the Halton Police budget had been made public on October 30th. Did Mr. Basit knowingly misrepresent the truth?”
“The statement poses a question. The facts are the facts and the police budget increase was widely reported as being 13.8% well before the November 4th meeting.
“As I understand it, after factoring in new revenue from new homes the police increase works out to 11.8% (that number has since increased to 14.3) to existing taxpayers. The increase to the “overall” tax increase number the City of Burlington loves to use looks like this:
 The 7.51% has since been increased. The 5.76%, which will also be increased, is a true number – but not all that relevant. The number that matters to the people of Burlington is the one that explains how much their city taxes are going to increase, in terms of a %. Burlington city Council is responsible for what they spend and what they have to collect.
To add insult to injust the Mayor has now blocked BRAG from commenting on her LinkedIn site.
By Staff
December 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Construction on the Burloak Grade Separation project is moving forward and with input from the community, we have adjusted our plans. A four-lane detour road will be built to maintain access along Burloak Drive to mitigate impacts to local residents, instead of the previously scheduled 14-month road closure.
This decision, made in partnership with the City of Burlington and the Town of Oakville, helps to minimize local construction impacts while ensuring critical work for more frequent two-way, all-day GO service on the Lakeshore West Line can continue.
Once completed, the new bridge – known as a grade separation – will allow vehicles to pass safely under the train tracks, enhancing pedestrian and motorist safety while allowing trains to pass over the area without interruption.
Minor preparation work will take place in the weeks ahead, with further updates to follow in the new year. During construction, traffic control measures will be implemented to manage traffic flow. Dates for implementation of the four-lane detour road will be shared as soon as they’re available.
 By Pepper Parr
December 11th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
During the December 10th Council meeting Mayor Meed Ward raised two Points of Privilege.
In Robert’s Rules of Order questions of privilege affecting the assembly may include matters of comfort, amplification, or safety. For example, it may be difficult to hear the speaker. In this case, a question of privilege could be raised to close the doors and windows.
Without naming the people she was referring to the Mayor appears to have decided that her personal preferences come first, so she did the following:
 Mayor Meed Ward: “We want everyone to feel heard and safe to speak their views, however unpopular, this is critical to a healthy democracy.” “I will take this opportunity in relation to the special meeting of council to speak to a point of privilege. And I’ll do that now before calling the vote as part of our respect commitment to a respectful workplace.
“I would like to address comments made at the Special Council meeting on the budget. This is the soonest opportunity, as I was not at that meeting due to attending a funding announcement at the hospital, one of the delegates mused that perhaps our CAO knowingly misrepresented the budget increase percentage. Now normally I don’t repeat personal attacks or defamatory statements, but it’s critically important to clarify what is in bounds and out of bounds when we are aiming for respectful dialog and respect in the workplace.
“Comments opposing the tax increase, suggesting cuts, offering suggestions around communications or an improved process, these and more are not only appropriate but welcome, however, attacking the personal integrity, honesty and character of anyone, whether a council member, staff or another member of the community, is not welcome our procedure by law, Section 44 two states that no person will speak disrespectfully to or about anyone in council chambers, and that’s what happened here.
“I do want to acknowledge Councillor Nissan for also speaking to this on a recent online post. This has exposed him to unwarranted criticism and misinterpretation of what he was calling out, which is specifically the personal attack on our CAO. Being exposed to such criticism discourages anyone from speaking out and calling us to a higher standard of engagement.
“We have guidelines for conduct in our meetings that are aimed at promoting respectful debate and dialog on the issues we face. This is especially important when there are different viewpoints and opinions among staff council and our community. We want everyone to feel heard and safe to speak their views, however unpopular, this is critical to a healthy democracy.
 Mayor Meed Ward “People won’t run if they’re exposed to personal attacks and a toxic workplace. People won’t apply to work in municipal government and residents won’t come forward to speak. We all lose when these voices are silenced. We need to be vigilant in upholding a respectful workplace and modeling it. We all have a role to play to foster a respectful workplace in service of a healthy democracy. We need to model respect in our own comments and encourage others to do so. My comments are to that end, and my commitment is to do my part alongside all of you. Thank you.”
When introducing a delegation that took place on Tuesday Mayor Meed Ward said:
“Delegates must be respectful of staff, council members and other members of the public who may have a different perspective on the item, personal attacks, innuendo, slander will not be tolerated, and I’ll stop you if that occurs, we do have a respectful workplace, which includes council chambers. So please focus on the issue you’ve registered to delegate to, and if you did speak at committee, try to bring new information forward and not repeat what you said at committee.”
Then twenty-six minutes later the Mayor called for a second Point of Privilege.
“There were some things said that the audit committee is failing in their duties and that staff are failing. There is simply zero truth or evidence to that, and it’s not going to be tolerated if staff, if members of the community, have any concerns about the behavior of staff, there are appropriate independent avenues to follow. We don’t just simply allow allegations that are unfounded to be set in council chambers.”
What I believe we are seeing is a Mayor who has wandered again from serving the public that elected her and pressing her own interests and preferences.
Back in July 2022, people watching a Council meeting webcast heard the MAyor attempt to bully a member of Council into apologizing publicly for something she did not do. It was the most outrageous bit of grandstanding I have ever seen take place in the Council Chamber.
The Gazette recorded that event – remind yourself as to just how bad that performance was – Click HERE
For those who want to decide for themselves if either Eric Stern or Anne Marsden were out of line, their delegations are set out below.
The Eric Stern delegation:
Delegation Monday, November 25, 2025
Good morning and thank you for your time today.
The “Stop the 7.5% Burlington Property Tax Increase” petition has been presented to council. Twelve hundred and forty-seven people signed the petition asking for a zero percent tax increase. The multi-year forecast called for 8.9%, by asking for zero we were hoping to meet somewhere in the middle, at 4.4%, oh well.
 Eric Stern: “What residents need is information, not marketing spin.” I have to say I was surprised to see Burlington get out early again this year with the fictional “4.97%” overall tax increase.
It was interesting to watch Mr. Basit present a 4.97% on November 4th when the Halton Police budget had been made public on October 30th. Did Mr. Basit knowingly misrepresent the truth?
On November 18th I listened to Leah Bortolotti talk about 6.7 million people visiting the website annually. I did another double-take. For a dose of reality, only 200,000 people live in Burlington. Are we expected to believe that every person in Burlington visits the website an average of 33 times a year? How many of these visits are to book the kids into a swim class? More confusing is that the budget document states on page 48 “our website—with its 1.5 million annual users”.
You have approved $148,000 for an SEO Marketing position. What is the payback?
Will there be a staff reduction in Service Burlington because people can find information themselves? Will there be KPIs to monitor this or is this just another overhead cost?
What residents need is information, not marketing spin, Google can make that information searchable. Adding a web marketing SEO position will slow down the posting of information making that information less accessible to taxpayers. Do you remember the taxpayers? The people who pay for this.
The mayor talks about training bus drivers and then those drivers take jobs in other cities as a justification for higher pay. This statement is not supported by the 5.3% turnover number presented on November 4th. A rate of 5.3% is lower than any private sector group except for heads of organizations and executives at 3.8%. This indicates the city has the right mix of salary, benefits and working conditions. An average, across-the-board, salary increase of 4.58% when inflation is 2.5% sounds high.
 Residents deserve factual information, clearly presented on the city’s website, by staff and the council, without the deft hand of a communications department spinning that information for the benefit of our elected representatives and city staff. I resent being taxed to pay for information to be marketed to me. My theme today is clarity. Residents deserve factual information, clearly presented on the city’s website, by staff and the council, without the deft hand of a communications department spinning that information for the benefit of our elected representatives and city staff. I resent being taxed to pay for information to be marketed to me.
Looking ahead to 2026, what considerations are being made for a conservative Federal government and severe cuts to the housing accelerator fund? Much of the expected $21,000,000 may evaporate.
In terms of provincial funding, what happens if the city does not meet its housing targets and no provincial funds are available?
Burlington is building out community centres, transit, etc. for people who may or may not move into the community. What happens if the builders don’t build and the people don’t materialize? Is it time for more prudent cost controls?
The Burlington Residents’ Action Group submitted to this council, in writing, 14 pages of possible cost savings and economies of scale that the city could consider.
I’ve watched many council meetings, people who ask for money often receive money, and people who ask for cuts often receive nothing.
Why are lower tax increases important?
Lower increases leave people with more money for heat pumps and EVs.
Lower increases reduce renovictions by landlords who, through rent control, can only increase rents by 2.5%. This will reduce homelessness and help to “solve the crisis”.
Lower increases leave more money in people’s pockets, reducing food bank visits and crime, and lower the overall cost of policing.
I’ll conclude with, Your Worship, you win, for now, you hold all the cards, residents are not given enough time to review the budget, the budget does not include explanations for the programs, or what the return on the “investment” will be, and requests for details go unanswered.
Congratulations on passing another huge budget increase without the community understanding what the percentage is or what the dollars are for!
The Marsden delegation:
That document will be included when Ms Marsden has made it available.
 By Tom Parkin
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Housing prices surged 72% under Doug Ford from 2018 until a price peak in February 2022. Ottawa’s immigration increase came after that.
Toronto’s housing affordability crisis had already peaked and housing purchase and rental prices were already falling when the number of new Ontario residents began to increase each quarter, according to an analysis of government and industry data.
The federal government announced a plan to increase immigration targets on February 14, 2022. The number of new Ontario residents each quarter began a sustained rise in the second half of 2022.
Immigration increases happened as housing prices fell.
By the second half of 2022, the Toronto housing sales market had already finished its massive price run-up. Prices began to decline in March 2022 and hit a new post-peak low last month.
The average asking price for a one-bedroom apartment began a surge in April 2022, well before the pace of new Ontario residents began to rise (see chart, below). By the time the pace started rising, the rental market had levelled off. And when the pace of population increase rose fastest, the asking price of rent was falling.
Basic logic: causes precede effects, not the other way
Because causes precede effects, claims that Ontario’s housing crisis was caused by immigration — and not government or central banking policies — cannot be correct. The timeline doesn’t fit.
The factors that drove the housing price mania include the ultra-low interest rates from March 2020 until March 2022, which surged demand, and the failure of the Ford PC government to spur housing starts, which limited supply.
The average house price in the Greater Toronto Area increased by 72% from the month of Doug Ford’s election until the housing market peak in February 2022. The asking price of rent increased 22% over just six months from April to October 2022.
In the 2022 Ontario election, the Ford PCs promised to put Ontario on a path to build 1.5 million housing units by 2031, a pace of 12,500 a month. The PCs have failed to hit this target every month often reaching less than 5,000 a month.
A 2023 announcement that provincial policies would lead to houses with yards and driveways coming to the market at a price under $500,000 has similarly come to nought.
The housing arc: from mania to crash to recession
When interest rates began to increase in March 2022, housing market demand cratered. The overpriced market crashed, leaving the wreckage of maxed-out borrowers owning homes not worth what they paid.
The price of the CREA’s average composite benchmark GTA house has fallen from $1.31 million in February 2022 to $1.06 in November 2024.
Those who bought with ultra-low financing from 2020 to 2022 soon face the “renewal cliff” of higher interest rates, taking a big bite out of consumer spending.
Unlike the rest of Canada, Ontario retail sales remain below a peak set in February 2022. Unemployment has risen dramatically, hitting 7.6 % in November, and the province is down 195,000 full time jobs since July
By Staff
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Museum Educators have planned four days of fun over the holiday break.
Camps are for children aged 5-12 years. The cost is $55 per child/day (Family Museum Members receive 10% off).
Camp runs from 9am – 4pm at Joseph Brant Museum on Dec 23, Dec 30, Jan 2, and Jan 3. Register HERE for one day or all four.
Returning for a second viewing:
 See the award winning film “Peace by Chocolate” at Joseph Brant Museum. After the bombing of his father’s chocolate factory, a charming young Syrian refugee struggles to settle into his new Canadian small-town life, caught between following his dream to become a doctor and preserving his family’s chocolate-making legacy, based on the internationally recognized true story. “A heartwarming tale of triumph over adversity” – Chris Knight, National Post
Tickets are $15/adult, $12/children (12 and under) and include admission to the galleries. Peace by Chocolate merchandise will be available in the Gift Shop for purchase. Doors open at 6pm to view the special exhibition “Refuge Canada”. Film begins at 7pm, 96 minutes long. Seating is limited,
By Staff
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Bev Kingdon has been with the Trumpeter Swan Coalition Restoration project since its earliest days.
 Bev Kingdon with Trumpeter swans on the beach at the LaSalle Park Marina where the boaters have learned to share the space with the swans. At a meeting that had nothing to do with Swans last night, she told us that saving the trumpeter swans have moved from being a Restoration project to being a Sustaining project and that sometime in February the group that deserves the gratitude of people across the province for saving the swans is going to do a province-wide count of the number of swans there are now.
The magnificent birds were on the very edge of extinction. The Coalition now wants to know just how many Trumpeter Swans there are. “We have to do the count across the province in a single day” said Kingdon “because the swans move from place to place and we want to ensure there is no double counting.”
People will be assigned a space and asked to report on the number of swans they see in a single day – and that is going to require hundreds of people to do the counting on a specific day that has yet to be determined.
 Grace and Beauty – photograph by Amada Kerr If the Swans mean anything to you – be in touch with the Trumpeter Swan Coalition and let them know where you live.
This count initiative is in the very early stages – so be patient.
Related news story:
Winner of the Gazette Trumpeter Swan photo contest
By Staff
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON, ON
Support Burlington Public Library’s
Kids Learning Fund this holiday season
Give a gift that inspires a lifetime of learning! By donating to BPL’s Kids Learning Fund, you’re directly supporting literacy, creativity, and discovery for children in our community. A $30 donation can purchase up to four books for our children’s collection. A $100 donation can buy supplies for a STEAM programming session. And a $200 donation can help replace aging play equipment!
Click HERE to donate online or in any BPL branch from now until December 31. Tax receipts are provided for all donations over $20.
Shopping for someone who has everything? Honour their love of books and learning with a truly meaningful gift! Your contribution in their name is a gift that keeps giving.
Your donation helps us enhance our children’s book and tech collections, fund free programs that ignite a passion for reading, science, and art, and create welcoming library spaces with engaging toys, furnishings, and technology.
By Staff
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Mayors Chamber of Commerce luncheon took place on Monday at the Burlington Convention Centre.
The crowd was decent enough.
The Mayor made her comments, insisting again that the tax increase was going to be 5.76, which is true, but also very misleading and really poor communications policy on the part of the City.
That 5.76 represented all the taxes: Boards of Education, the Regional levy (which has yet to be determined), the Police Services expense – which is included with the Regional levy.
The Mayor and her council members are responsible for what Burlington spends and what it needs in the way of a tax levy. The residents of the city deserve to know what the city is doing to them financially.
At this point, the tax increase over last year is expected to be 7.83%. The city uses the words “deemed to have been approved” in statements they issue these days.
The Regional Council will determine what their tax levy is going to be on Wednesday – at that point, the city will be able to set its tax levy.
The City CAO Hassaan Basit used the same 4.97% number.
 This was not the picture we used in the first version of this story. Shortly after it was published Councillor Kearns advised me that my zipper had come undone. I asked her for suggestions on what could be done. We ended up agreeing that photo-shopping the picture and putting in a fig leaf would do the trick. At Chamber of Commerce events a table is usually set aside for media. In the past CHCH has had cameras, Cogeco had a crew and a number of print media sent a representative.
This year there were just two media people: Hunter Lawson from Burlington Today and Pepper Parr from the Burlington Gazette.
There was no table, there was no lunch. We did get a glass of water.
By John Best
December 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ombudsman for the city of Burlington has ruled that it cannot involve itself in political decisions and for that reason is unable to act on a complaint lodged by the Bay Observer about the communication process surrounding the Bateman School Project. The Bay Observer launched a complaint against Burlington City Council in November of 2023, alleging that Burlington Council had misled the public about the real financial scope of the Bateman project when it was first floated with the public, and throughout the election year 2022, engaged in a public consultation process that had participants providing comments and buy-in with no idea of the financial implications of the project.
The Ombudsman found in his conclusion: “I am satisfied from the evidence that the City’s Communications staff followed City policies, and professional practices in the communications field. I further accept that City staff can only publish information they are authorized to share (Our emphasis). I interpret that the remainder (and bulk, frankly) of Mr. Best’s concerns are directed to the City’s political processes or decision-making – which isn’t appropriately within this Office’s jurisdiction.” The Bay Observer had not directed its criticism towards communication staff, understanding their role is to carry out council communications.
What got the Bay Observer interested in the Bateman project was when members of council initiated an integrity commissioner complaint into comments made by Councillor Shawna Stolte at a meeting in late 2021 where she referred to the cost of the project saying, “the reality is that the final cost will be well above $50M.” That figure had earlier only been presented to council in closed session. The Integrity Commissioner ruled that her comments were a clear violation of procedure and Stolte was sanctioned.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward What seemed unusual was Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s release of a 2,300-word statement the day after the Integrity Commissioners report was approved by council, that had the feel of overkill. Among many other statements, the Mayor wrote, “Any breach of the Code is a breach of public trust. The community loses; The breach related to the purchase of Robert Bateman High School, as the Integrity Commissioner has noted, had incorrect information that risks misleading the public. In addition, while the dollar amount disclosed was incorrect, it could have seriously damaged negotiations as the seller could have interpreted that number as indicative of the City’s price point.” (The mayor rightly pointed out the $50 million figure was incorrect, as the final figure at last estimate is now more than double that.) What struck us then was the force with which the mayor and councillors came down on Stolte, leading a reporter to wonder if the urgency of sanctioning Stolte was really the breach of confidentiality itself or the fact that through Stolte’s actions the size of the project was now in the public domain.
Publisher’s note. During the kerfuffle surrounding the sanctioning of Stolte, the Mayor attempted to force Stolte to make a public apology to a city Staff member. The attempt was made by the Mayor during a virtual Council meeting. The Gazette published the rant which can be reviewed HERE
With the Stolte matter behind it, council throughout 2022 developed a public consultation plan that in our view was misleading to participants, and formed the basis of the complaint to the Ombudsman. Both in our reporting, and in our complaint to the Ombudsman, the Bay Observer stated that the complaint, “relates to the genesis of the Bateman project, specifically the failure by council to provide the public with any sense of the size and scope of a plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on renovations to the former Robert Bateman School for use as a community centre as they were conducting public consultation throughout 2022. In fact, I submit that the city engaged in deliberate obfuscation of the financial scope of the project, as they engaged in public consultation. Indeed, those members of the public who participated in surveys and town halls had no idea for what they were actually providing buy-in, making the public consultation piece a sham. The project was essentially presented to the public as a simple land swap, with the end goal providing space for a Brock University satellite campus, a city economic division known as Tech Place and the Library.
 A development project that included everyone except the public. The (cost and scope of the) community centre aspect was only alluded to in the most vague terms throughout the public consultation period, when in fact every member of council had known it was a major capital project costing at least $50 million (December 2021). As soon as the election was over the price was announced at $80 Million and has now grown to $100 Million. A decision to embark on a project of this magnitude while giving the public at least a ballpark sense of the cost would not have frustrated subsequent tendering. The fact that this communication process was followed in an election year is particularly concerning as it was a legitimate item for public discussion. Large municipal projects are frequently presented to the public for comment with an approximate price tag attached, in fact plebiscites (on significant public works projects) are often framed with this information.”
The full Ombudsman report runs to 24 pages. You can read it in the Bay Observer.
John Best is the Editor of the Bay Observer
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By Pepper Parr
