Those Tim Hortons Smile Cookies are Going to be Part of a Photo Op

By Pepper Parr

May 25th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Imagine how much food a $144,929 donation is going to buy.

Hmm – wonder what I can do to get a box of those cookies.

This “incredible news” comes from the Burlington Tim Hortons Restaurant Owners who achieved an outstanding milestone, through the 2023 Smile Cookie Campaign. This incredible accomplishment would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our community, dedicated volunteers, and the fantastic team at Tim Hortons.

To celebrate this achievement their will be a cheque presentation and photo opportunity at the end of the month.

Maybe they will hand out a smile cookie for those taking part – it will help the photographer get the right look.

Quite an achievement – those funds will go a long way to helping those that need help.

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Halton District School Board wants to fill three vacancies on the Human Rights & Equity Advisory Committee

By Staff

May 25th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Halton District School Board (HDSB) has issued a call for membership, looking to fill three vacancies on the Human Rights & Equity Advisory Committee (HREAC).
Since 2021, the HREAC has proposed and responded to human rights and equity initiatives that support the HDSB’s focus on student achievement and well-being, helping to support commitments outlined in the Human Rights Equity Action & Accountability Plan: The Way Forward and 2020-2024 Multi Year Plan.

The Committee is composed of parent/guardian and community organization representatives living in or providing services to Halton children, youth and families, as well as Indigenous Inherent Rights Holder and Treaty Partner and HDSB staff representatives.

Those interested in joining the Human Rights & Equity Advisory Committee are invited to view the HREAC – Call for Membership from Parents/Guardians and Halton Community and complete the HREAC Community Expression of Interest Form by Tuesday, June 13 at 6 p.m.

“The HREAC has been a vital part of the HDSB’s work to promote human rights and equity across our system,” says Jennie Petko, Superintendent of Education with responsibility for Indigenous Rights & Education, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusive Education.

“As we continue the work outlined in The Way Forward and seek to dismantle systems of oppression and challenge dominant traditions, we look forward to welcoming new members and fresh perspectives to this Committee.”

The HDSB Human Rights Equity Action & Accountability Plan: The Way Forward requires ongoing action on the part of all individuals and departments within the Board. The plan identifies strategies and actions to ensure all students, staff and families are supported in schools and workplaces by creating and maintaining equitable and inclusive learning and working environments.

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The Pink Project gets Mayor's Award at Chamber of Commerce event

By Pepper Parr

May 25th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

Recipients of the Mayors Award for their Pink Project: Olivia Netto, centre, and Iman Nemar with Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.

 

Earlier this week the Burlington Chamber of Commerce presented the Mayor’s Award to Olivia Netto and Iman Nemar for their Pink Project that put menstrual products in city washrooms and as well as high school washrooms.

The two women became friends in high school and launched The Pink Project Burlington in their senior year.

What began in the Burlington community has now spread beyond — The Pink Project has been able to successfully advocate for free period products being available now in Milton and Halton Hills as well. The duo say they live by their two-part mission statement: to deliver and to inform.

The Gazette interviewed the two women when they were getting ready to take their project to city council hoping that it would be taken on as a pilot project.

In our initial interview was asked the two women: How does change come about?   What makes people decide they want to change something that they think could be better.

Netto and Nemar were both students at Nelson high school out riding their bikes and a situation arose that had them talking about those occasions when you really need a product there is nothing at hand.

The product in this instance was feminine personal hygiene products – a taboo for many people and something that young men just don’t know all that much about and are not comfortable asking questions either.

But for Netto and Nemar it was a serious subject and they decided they wanted to try and bring about a change: Getting free mental products in as many public locations as possible.

“Over the course of the past few years, we’ve noticed a lack of accessibility to feminine hygiene products both within the community and at schools. Our mission is to create a donation-based drive to cater to those in need. At school, in the workplace and in Burlington”, said Inman.

Olivia Netto, on the left  and Inman Nemar were both students at Nelson high school.

They took the view that offering free menstrual hygiene products in public washrooms is now considered as essential to the community as offering toilet paper, soap and paper towels.

Their original focus was Burlington – given the success they have had – they have their eyes on the Region, then the province and – why not the whole country.

Earlier this week they were recipients of the Mayor’s Award. When the two women took their idea to city Council the Mayor was on board the moment she first heard about it. She has been a champion of the project from the Get Go. While the Mayor promoted the project it was the initiative from the two women that made it real.

Olivia is studying Industrial design at Carlton University and Inman is studying Life Sciences at McMaster.

Asked how they monitor the distribution and the take up Oliva said: “We have scouts out there.”

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Chamber of Commerce announces the 2023 Business Excellence Awards

By Staff

May 25th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Recognizing leadership and distinction within the community is one part of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce mandate.  One of the ways they do this is through their Business Excellence Awards which were awarded earlier this week when 400 attendees took part in an event to celebrate the finalists and winners of the 2023 event.

Randall Smallbone: Chair of the Chamber Board, appointed in June 2021. Chair of the Board of Directors of The Burlington Economic Development Corporation.

Randall Smallbone, Chair of the Board of Directors spoke for everyone when he said “We are delighted to be back at the Burlington Convention Centre this year! We took a different approach on the format last year and following the feedback from our members, the response was to bring the event back to its original format” everyone gathered in one place stated

Smallbone added that the Business Awards Task Force was faced with the challenge of bestowing nine Awards of Excellence. The Chamber named 24 local organizations as finalists in a variety of categories.

Award nominations were based on overall business excellence; the criteria included excellence in business leadership, community contributions, entrepreneurship, employee welfare, innovation and market growth.

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Business Excellence Award Winners were:

Retail & Wholesale Award: She’s Got Leggz inc.
Not-For-Profit Award: Burlington Soccer Club
Service, Small Award: Oakstone Wealth
Service, Large Award: Spectrum Airways
Food, Beverage & Tourism Award: Backed By Bees
Young Entrepreneur Award: Dale Gray – Creature Comforts HVAC Inc. Heritage Award: Burlington Public Library
Women Business Leaders Award: Nancy Romic – Shifra Homes Inc.
Employer of the Year Award: Ritestart Limited

The 2023 Mayor’s Award: The Pink Project

Burlington Economic Development Award for Excellence in Global Business: ABS Machining Inc.
Burlington Economic Development Award for Excellence in Innovation & Technology: Innovia GEO
Burlington Economic Development Award for Excellence in Retail Innovation: Stillwater Float Centre

Most of the award winners have web sites that tells part of their story.  The Gazette will do its best to interview as many of the award winners as possible.

 

 

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Of the eight candidates running for school board trustee only three live in either ward 1 or ward 2

By Lynn Crosby

May 24, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Burlington is in the midst of a by-election for the Halton District School Board Ward 1 and 2 Trustee seat.

Anyone who lives in the Region can run for a Burlington seat.

Online voting took place the week of May 15, the advance polls are open today, May 24. Election Day is Monday, May 29.

Voter turnout in the June 2022 provincial election was the lowest in Ontario’s history, at only 43.5%. Here in Burlington, it was far worse, with only 27.6% bothering to vote. By-elections historically result in even lower turnouts, and when the by-election is for School Trustee, it is likely lower still.

This is a shame – voting is a right for which our veterans fought and died, and we Canadians are lucky that we have this right, where so many in the world do not. I suggest that we have a duty to vote, but also to first inform ourselves about the candidates and the issues.

For many of us who have been following this by-election campaign, we are questioning some factors that are both abnormal and concerning.

We have eight candidates running for Burlington Wards 1 and 2 HDSB Trustee. Only three of them live in either Ward 1 or Ward 2.

Two of them don’t even live in Burlington – they live in Oakville.

The chart below has been making the rounds on social media. Former HDSB Chair Andrea Grebenc and other past and current Trustees in both the HDSB and HCDSB have shared this chart.

All believe that the public should research their candidates carefully and then must get out and vote.

Why is a candidate from Oakville running to be a Burlington Ward 1 and 2 Trustee in the first place? Personally, I would never vote for a Trustee who doesn’t live in my city, let alone ward. I feel it is very important that our Ward 1 and 2 community be represented by someone who lives here, knows the schools and can provide meaningful input on boundary reviews and the neighbourhoods.

If an Oakville candidate wants to be a Halton school trustee, he or she should have run in June 2022 in Oakville, or should wait until the next election and contest an Oakville seat.

Six of the eight candidates live in Burlington but only three of the six live in either ward 1 or ward 2.

While the provincial rules permit anyone living in Halton can run in any municipality in the Region, the practice has always been for the trustee to live in the ward to effectively represent parents.

The Gazette has interviewed two of the three – links to those interviews are set out below.

The other head-scratching factor in this by-election campaign is the recent public endorsements on social media by two Oakville MPPs, Stephen Crawford and Effie Triantafilopoulos for one of those Oakville candidates, Celina Close.

Close was also endorsed by the Burlington People’s Party of Canada candidate and spoke at their recent event. When Effie was questioned by a trustee on Twitter about the appropriateness of her wading in to endorse a school trustee candidate, Effie responded in the usual manner of many politicians: she immediately blocked the trustee from communicating with her on her Twitter.

What is going on here that we have such interest in this seat, from across Burlington’s wards, into Oakville, and by sitting Ontario MPPs?

I urge Burlington Ward 1 and Ward 2 residents to get out and vote on Monday, May 29. Please know your vote matters – in a by-election especially, every vote counts, and the seat could be decided by a 20-vote difference. Look at the platforms and experience of the candidates, think about where they live and why they are running. Whether you have children in the school system or not, your vote is a vote for the future. We all benefit from having the best public schools possible, and from having strong leaders on our school boards. We pay considerable tax money for our schools and our Trustees represent our voices.

Our children are our most precious resource – they can’t vote, but we can. Vote wisely.

Related news stories:

Robbie Brydon

Daniel Warren Oke

The Gazette was not able to reach Ross Montgomery.

There is a news story on Montgomery here

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A Solution to the Bateman Parking Problem Has Been Put on Hold

By Pepper Parr

May 24th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Parking at the former Bateman High school site, commonly called the community hub until a name has been agreed upon was an issue as soon as people realized that the sports field that consisted of a track with a playing field in the middle was going to be used to park cars.

That idea didn’t go down very well – so much so that the city put any engagement on the outdoor amenities on pause: scheduled to resume following the investigation for accommodating additional parking.

Parking was barely adequate when the site was just a high school. With university students and participants using the facilities the staff view was that parking would be overwhelmed and came back with suggestions that some of the track and sports field space be used. That didn’t go over very well with those who delegated and it didn’t appear that a majority of the Council members liked the idea either.

Council is being asked to:

“Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure & Community Services, to work with the Director of Transportation, and the Executive Director of Community Planning Regulation and Mobility to report back to council by Q4 2023 with costs and timelines related to alternatives to accommodate additional parking for the Project inclusive of Phases 1 and 2 that minimizes impact to the existing greenspace, including but not limited to:

1. Amending the city-wide zoning bylaw related to parking or granting council Public Authority to amend the requirements where circumstances warrant.
2. Construct structured parking on the existing built area of the site.
3. Providing layby parking on New Street in front of Bateman.
4. Exploring shared and leased parking options with nearby sites.
5. Providing time limited on-street parking signed for the community centre uses.
6. Provide additional parking requirements utilizing permeable materials.

Options Considered
This project represents a significant investment by the City to retain this site in public ownership for a variety of community uses and to address the current and future recreation needs of our community.

As such, it is important that this investment be accompanied by a thorough and complete communication and engagement plan. In developing the plan, staff considered working through existing and established engagement efforts to maximize the potential reach; examples of this include the various master plans and reviews as well as community events such as Food for Feedback, connections with Council advisory groups and community and sport user groups, to name a few.

Related news stories:

Communication Plan

An innovate and very welcome approach to involving community groups.

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Staff have suggested an interesting approach to getting the public involved in how the Bateman site could be used.

By Pepper Parr

May 24th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

In a staff report to a Standing Committee the communication and engagement tactics and milestones are set out.
They are structured around critical construction targets.

There are additional other engagement opportunities for the community as it relates to recreation programs and indoor/outdoor recreation amenities.

Staff have outlined the connections with the Parks and Recreation Cultural Assets Master Plan (PRCAMP) and the Direct Delivered Program Review and wherever possible are drawing synergies between these various engagement opportunities.

The engagement tactics as they relate to allocation of space for community use will include a visioning exercise followed by a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI).

The RFEI will look for alignment with the community and council’s vision for the facility and will be open to organizations looking for exclusive or dedicated space.

The process will require interested parties to briefly state their space interest at the new community centre.

Following the RFEI, staff will review the interest and provide an update to council.

Subsequently and 18 months prior to the expected construction completion date, staff will begin the process of allocating space with the goal of striking a balance between existing user group expansion, new community offerings and expansion and/or re-allocation of various city direct-delivered programs; all with the goal of realizing the community vision. In the event of competing interest, staff may wish to proceed with a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Strategy/process/risk
From the Staff report comes the following:
Engaging people on issues that affect their lives and their city is a key component of a democratic society. Public involvement encourages participation, actions, and personal responsibility. Burlington’s commitment to public engagement is reflected in its Community Engagement Charter, adopted by City Council. The Charter establishes the commitments, responsibilities, and concepts of the relationship between the City of Burlington and the residents of Burlington related to public engagement. The goal of community engagement is to lead to more informed and, therefore, better decision- making.

Staff appreciate council’s wish to roll out comprehensive and extensive engagement efforts with the community on this project. Specifically, staff have outlined a chart for both indoor and outdoor engagement opportunities respectively; the chart includes timing, milestone, messages, stakeholders, and level of engagement expected.

Those charts are set out in a separate article.

Engagement efforts began in Spring 2022 with the development of a project page on the City’s engagement portal Get Involved Burlington. In addition to the project page, residents have been kept updated on the project including seven media releases and five staff reports. Upcoming milestones include various visioning exercises with the community (in person and virtual) over the summer months and will be followed by a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) in early fall where community groups will be invited to share their interest in space at the new community centre. Engagement efforts for the indoor space will be centered around the spaces identified for community use; this space includes:

• ~ 14,000 square feet of open community space located near the back of the building.
• ~ 7,000 square feet of shop space located on the west side of the building.
• Potential Additional ~ 9,000 square feet of shell space that would be temporarily available to the community. It is intended to be used as expansion space by one of the partners in the next few years.

Ground floor

This is a very interesting and innovative approach to involving the public.  Stay on top of your Council member and push your ideas and seek their support.

Related news story:

Communications and Recreation, Community and Culture

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Council will get a detailed briefing on the next steps for the Bateman property on June 1st. Some very good news despite the cost

By Pepper Parr

May 24th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

On the first day of June a Standing Committee will go over how the city is going to engage the public on the evolution of the former Bateman High School.

The material from the staff report is detailed and complex.  However, there are a couple of gems.

Parts of the report spits out all the bromides that are supposed to settle the tummies of a very concerned public that shudders at the amount of money that has been spent to date on a project the citizens, so far, have had little in the way of input on.

The size and scope of the community centre (It needs a name of its own very soon) will be the biggest the city has. While it is in the eastern part of the city it could well turn into a magnet for a number of groups that are looking for a home. .

The site as it stood when the city purchased the property.

 

A rendering what of the former high school will look like.

The Standing Committee agenda:

Receive and file recreation, community and culture department report plus the Former Robert Bateman High School – Communication and Engagement update; and

Direct the Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement and the Director of Recreation, Community and Culture to execute the communications and engagement tactics or recreation, community and culture department report.

Council will hear from the Communications people and the Recreation, Community and Culture – you knew them as Parks and Recreation – that is now led by Emilie Cote who is doing a superb job so far.

The development aligns with the city’s Vision to Focus position – that’s the portion of the Strategic Plan Council is working on during this term of office.

Those who pay attention to these issues know that the City of Burlington purchased the former Robert Bateman High School building and site and that it is being repurposed with sustainability and community-building in mind.

The reuse and conversion of the former secondary school will have extensive interior renovations including renewal of all major building systems and exterior site and building modifications required to support the intended community uses.

When the renovation is complete, tenants including Brock University, Burlington Public Library, Halton District School Board, Tech Place and City of Burlington will move into the building and begin offering services.

There is currently parking, a small woodlot associated with the adjacent Appleby Creek Valley and a track with a football field (inside the track) located on the site. The building and property will remain in public ownership.

In addition to the existing pool and gymnasiums and the new enhanced common areas of the building there will be approximately 21,000 square feet of new dedicated community recreation space and approximately 9,000 square feet of temporary recreation space that do not have defined uses at this time and that would form part of Phase 2 of the project.

In this report, staff are bringing forward for council’s awareness a draft communication and engagement plan addressing tactics.

On April 18, 2023, council approved the tender award for the Renovation and Conversion of the Former Robert Bateman High School (EICS-23-09). The high-level project timelines are as follows:

Maps of spaces, with exact dimensions are set out below.

Ground floor: Phase 1

 

 

Total Financial Impact
Communication and engagement tactics that will be rolled out for phase 1 and 2 of this project will require funding. Staff estimate the cost to be approximately $100,000 and it will be funded from prior approved capital.

Other Resource Impacts
This project is a large undertaking for City staff, as is the engagement and communication efforts. Various staff members will be engaged and required to carry out the various efforts including but not limited to staff from:

• Recreation, Community and Culture
• Communications and Engagement
• Customer Experience
• Engineering
• Parks Design and Construction
• Transportation
• Transit

Climate Implications
The project aligns with the Council approved Climate Action Plan.

Recreation, Community and Culture Director Emilie Cote

Engagement Matters:
Staff have come up with a very interesting approach that is set out in a separate report.

In that seperate article various groups including, but not limited to community user groups, community members, partners, Council advisory groups, council, City staff will have an opportunity be engaged along the way.

The report that will be before the Standing Committee is exhaustive and requires a close reading.

What Council will learn is that Recreation, Community and Culture Director Emilie Cote and Kwab Ako-Adjei, Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement plan to do as the evolution of the former Bateman High School plays out.

 

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Let parents have a say in plans to upgrade water front amenities before consultants produce a report telling council what they should do.

By Pepper Parr

May 24th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Changes are going to be made to the pond at the base of the Discovery Centre and to the splash pad adjacent to it.
The Parks and Recreation department proposes to hire a consultant who will look at changes to Civic Square as well

The Gazette harps away at the city administration, with the complicit cooperation and support of the current city council, over the weak and ineffective current process of citizen engagement.

Earlier today we published a report on the work that is planned for the waterfront pond ans splash pad parts if Spencer Smith Park.

This is what the splash pads were meant to provide – a place to be kids and have fun.

What better opportunity than now to get public feedback that the consultants can hear and listen to. Better still, have the consultants do the engagement – let them pull together a focus group, hold a Town Hall and listen to what the parents in the community think should be done with the facilities in Spencer Smith Park.

Publishing the plans before they get discussed at the Standing Committee gives the public an opportunity to delegate – something this council gives: the best lip service you will ever see.

Related news story:

Waterfront pond and splash pads to get a makeover

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Councillor Stolte will return to the Council Chamber

By Pepper Parr

May 23, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

From a usually reliable source: Councillor Shawna Stolte is “..back in action and healthier than ever.”

Councillor Shawna Stolte is expected to be in her seat when city Council meets next.

She has been away from her office for a health related Leave of Absence.

It will be interesting to hear the comments from the Mayor whose behaviour to the Councillor was something to hear.

The two Councillors who filed a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner that was upheld costing Stolte five days’ pay which she said was a small price to pay to make her point.

Will all three, Nisan, Galbraith and Meed Ward have welcoming arms?

Don’t bet on that one.

As to that being back and ready for action – the following is the response one gets when you reach out to the ward 4 Councillor:

If you need immediate assistance please email

ward4@burlington.ca

and my assistant, Annemarie Cumber, will be able to assist.

We will do our best to reply as soon as possible to your inquiry, in the meantime please review the following list of direct contacts for City Services as a more expedient way to get your service issue addressed.

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Future vision of the Waterfront Centre

By Pepper Parr

May 23, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Spencer Smith Park is over crowded – people have realized that for some time.

What to do?

Early in June Council will discuss Future vision of the Waterfront Centre and perhaps agree to:

Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to retain a consultant to provide options for the capital renewal and/or replacement of the outdoor amenities at the Waterfront; and

Authorize the Chief Financial Officer to transfer $60,000 from the Waterfront Reserve Fund to fund a study

Inside Spencer’s on the Waterfront

Spencer Smith Park is a significant focal point and landmark on the Burlington waterfront, highly sought after by visitors year-round. During winter, the park attracts many visitors who come to the ice rink and the festival of lights. In the summer months, the park experiences a significant surge in visitors, drawn in by many events, walking trails, the spray pad, reflecting pond, and beach access. The Waterfront Centre opened in 2006 and is located within Spencer Smith Park. It is home to Spencer’s at the Waterfront. The facility also supports many park amenities, parking, the reflecting pond, ice rink, spray pad, and provides public access to gathering spaces and park washrooms.

The increase in visitors and users has put a strain on the infrastructure, and demand on the park washroom that exceeds its’ capacity. Over the past number of years we have experienced more precipitation and milder winters which have resulted in a rise in the number of closures to the ice rink.

Improvements and updates to the facility, including a roof replacement to both the observatory and the restaurant along with interior renovations of the observatory, restaurant, and the lower lobby have been completed in partnership with Spencer’s. In December 2019, there was a watermain break that occurred in the lower level which resulted in a full replacement of the pond and spray pad filtration equipment.

The ice plant refrigeration equipment is operated by R-22 (freon). Environment action plans removed R-22from production in 2020 and freon equipment will be removed by 2030 and as a result, the ice plant must be replaced.

A very popular place for parents and kids who just love running in and out of the splash pads.

The outdoor components of the spray pad, such as the concrete pad and jets, are also approaching end-of-life. The artificial turf and drainage system is being repaired this spring but will require a full replacement in spring of 2024, in advance of the larger spray pad renewal.

The need for facility renewal and replacement has provided staff with the opportunity to collectively review the overall services and amenities, including the ice rink, spray pad, and park washrooms, and to improve operational efficiency and community experience resulting in short- and long-term plans.

In the short term, staff will perform life cycle maintenance on the ice plant and repair the spray pad turf to extend their lifespan.

For the long term, staff plan to conduct a comprehensive review of services, amenities, and the operating model with the assistance of a consultant who will provide different design options and Class D costings for each.

The consultant will consider service levels and standards, environmental factors, and possible synergies with other projects, such as the Civic Square Renewal, Beachway Master Plan, Parks and Recreation, Cultural Assets Master Plan (PRCAMP), and Climate Resilient Burlington. Additionally, staff have received feedback over the years, both formally and informally, indicating the need for more seating, park washrooms, and shade structures to support the community’s needs at the Waterfront.

This is what childhood is all about!

The consultant will develop options with Class D cost estimates based on the following design considerations;

1. Minimize impacts to adjacent greenspace.
2. Materials and options will consider climate impacts.
3. Options will consider community needs.
4. Options will align with the overall downtown vision and partners at the Waterfront Centre.
5. Options will consider accessibility requirements.
6. Capital and operating costs.

In 2024, staff will complete the required renewal of the existing ice plant to extend its’ life cycle to 2028 as well as the repairs to the artificial turf and drainage system that supports the spray pad. With the timelines indicated below, staff will report back to council with consultant options along with the various estimated capital and operating costs for each option in Q1 of 2024.

Following a report to council with consultant options and estimated capital costs, staff will engage with the community. The focus of this engagement phase will be to gather input from the community on the renewal and replacement options provided by the consultant to improve user experience and the efficiencies of the spray pad, pond, and ice rink.

Subsequently, a secondary phase of engagement will occur in 2026 and 2027, prior to construction on the preferred concept design based on the information collected in the first phase of community engagement.

The proposed time line.

Staff have considered a full spray pad renewal in 2025 and a synthetic ice surface for the ice rink. The synthetic ice surfaces that are currently available in the market are not
a viable solution and do not provide the customer with a comparable experience to skating on real ice. The decision to renew the spray pad will be provisional based on the outcomes of the consultant’s report.

The Waterfront Centre and the outdoor amenities have operated under a net zero model since 2016, mirroring the operating models at Paletta Mansion and LaSalle Banquet Centre. The net zero operating model allows for an annual contribution to a reserve fund which represents the revenues collected through tenant agreements offset by the operating expenses to maintain the asset.

The reserve fund was designed to financially support any future capital replacements and renewals on a like for like basis. With the rising costs of goods and services along with an unplanned replacement of the freon ice plant system, this will impact the financial forecasts previously estimated.

It is anticipated that the cost for the consultant to complete the review of the renewal and replacement options described within this report is $60,000. The balance of the reserve fund is $286,287. The consultant will investigate the options presented and provide concept drawings with Class D costing. With the options and costing provided by the consultant, staff will review the capital renewal forecast along with the operating cost for each options provided to help determine the future operating model of the Waterfront Centre.  Depending on the renewal or replacement options recommended; there may be a need to adjust both the capital and operating models accordingly.

The plan to eliminate R-22 has been initiated in phases, the most recent of which occurred on January 1st, 2020, Currently R-22 is only available from recycled and stockpiled supplies, which is very costly. The final stage is to have a complete removal all R-22 by January 1st, 2030; at this time, the government will officially ban the remaining production and import of R-22. The renewal of the ice plant will support the environmental initiatives to protecting the ozone. Future options will consider environmentally friendly replacements of the R-22.

Once staff have options for renewal and replacement that will improve efficiencies of the spray pad, pond, and ice rink, the community and stakeholders will be engaged along with improved community experience. With the council approved options staff would complete phase 1 of community and stakeholder engagement in the summer and winter of 2024 to hear from the park visitors and amenity users.

With preferred options by the community and council, a phase 2 engagement will be completed prior to construction to select a preferred concept design.

Staff will also have meaningful conversations and engagement with the tenant to discuss synergies with facility renewals and lease renewal negotiations to align with any outdoor amenity’s construction.

Given the end-of-life assets and new legislative requirements for replacing the ice plant, there is an exciting opportunity to revitalize the outdoor space as part of the renewal process. After reviewing the considerations and guiding principles, staff are eager to provide options that offer the most promising opportunities for the community. As such, staff recommend the engagement of a consultant to provide guidance on effective operations and options, as well as cost estimates for construction and maintenance.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

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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

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