 By Pepper Parr
March 13th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
This looks like the way it is going to be.
Marit Stiles, leader of the Opposition at Queen’s Park was in Kingston today asking the government to provide Ontarians with answers on why they are using public tax dollars to fund private, for-profit health care providers. She was joined by Ross Sutherland from the Kingston Health Coalition.
Stiles called for transparency following Kingston Health Services Corporation contracting out eye surgeries to Focus Eye Care, which is a private, for-profit clinic.
 Marit Stiles, Leader of the Opposition at Queen’s Park All we’re asking from Doug Ford is for some transparency. We don’t know the details of this specific deal and we just need some answers from the government,” said Stiles.
“Why are they using public tax dollars to line the pockets of wealthy shareholders rather than use that same money to fund Kingston’s public hospital when we know that it costs the government about $100 more per patient to do surgeries at a private clinic than at a public facility?”
 Cataract eye surgery. In contrast to public hospitals, for-profit clinics run on a profit motive increasing the opportunity of putting shareholder profits and the bottom line ahead of quality patient care.
“I just want Ford to give the people of this province a straightforward answer on why they are choosing over and over again to use public tax dollars to fund private clinics instead of our public hospitals.
“We know what the solutions are to Ontario’s health care crisis – stop cutting health care and staff up. The government can literally do this today, but they are making an intentional decision to siphon funds away and invest them in private clinics. And we just want to know why,” said Stiles.
 By Staff
March 13th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Given that condominiums are going to be the form of of home ownership that is going to be what most of the people moving into new houses in the next decade the New Democrats thought it was time to push for a change in the legislation that governs condo.
 This is what housing is going to look like for a lot of people. Owners want more protection – expecting government to change the rules. NDP Housing critic and University–Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell has introduced a motion to expand the jurisdiction of the province’s Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT), so that condo residents have a place to turn for issues like unfair condo fees or negligent building maintenance.
The motion was debated, the question was put to the Legislature and was lost on March 8.
“Ontario’s 1.3 million condo residents deserve to live in safe, well-maintained homes,” said Bell. “The failure of the Ford government to properly regulate Ontario’s condo sector means that currently, residents have nowhere to go but court with problems like unfair condo rules, poor maintenance of common spaces, or conflicts of interest with condo board governance.
“No resident should have to spend thousands of dollars taking a developer to court just to get an issue like a common room repaired. This bill gives them another place to turn.”
Bell discussed her bill at a press conference last week. She was joined by NDP MPP Tom Rakocevic, critic for Consumer Protection, and condo owners living without heat and other amenities, and fighting unfair maintenance fees.
 That, in the opinion of this House, the Government of Ontario should expand the jurisdiction and enforcement power of the Condo Authority Tribunal so the tribunal can hear, rule and resolve the issues that most impact condo residents, including condo board governance and elections, condo rules, property management performance, condo fees, maintenance and repairs, reserve funds, and short-term rentals. In 2020, Ontario’s Auditor General released a damning report of the province’s condo sector, calling for legal and regulatory changes including expanding the reach of CAT. Since her report, the Public Accounts Committee has provided a clear road map for what the Ontario government should be doing to strengthen government oversight over the condo sector. Bell’s motion would authorize CAT to adjudicate common complaints related to condo board governance, fees, repairs in common areas, short-term rentals, and reserve funds.
“The jurisdiction of the Condo Tribunal must be expanded so condo residents have a fast, affordable and fair way to have their concerns heard and addressed, without spending thousands of dollars and years of their life stuck in court,” Bell said.
The current government has not been too keen on promoting legislative initiatives that come from the Opposition.
We will watch and report on how this bill makes its way through Queen’s Park.
Shudeshna Nag, a condo owner said: “We are left feeling unsafe, and uncared for in our own homes. We are asking for basic rights of dignity, and security. I have written repeated letters to management which have gone unanswered. I am shocked to find how little accountability condo managers and boards have to residents, when they are managing impressive heaps of our monthly maintenance fees.”
Another condo ownerLina Kazakova added: “I strongly believe that Tribunal jurisdiction be expanded. Almost all the issues related to the compliance with the condo acts must be handled by the Tribunal. As it stands, condo owners in Ontario are completely unprotected. We had to hire a lawyer and pay more than $110 thousand in legal fees just to have an AGM.”
 By Staff
March 13th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
He is coming back
A sure sign of spring: King Road closed for annual migration of the Jefferson salamander
In its media release the city advised that “we are closer to the arrival of spring, which means a section of King Road will be closed to allow for the annual passage of the endangered Jefferson salamanders during their breeding migration.”
Starting on Thursday, March 16, King Road, from North Service Road to Mountain Brow Road, will be closed so the salamanders can cross the road safely.
 This creature should be the Official Mascot of the city. He does get a road closed in the Spring so that he can cross to the other is during mating season. You do know why he is crossing the road don’t you?
Local traffic for all properties between North Service Road and the escarpment will be maintained. King Road will reopen for through traffic on Wednesday, April 12, once the salamanders are expected to finish their annual crossing.
Since 2012, the City of Burlington has closed the same section of road for the salamanders to cross. They are a nationally and provincially protected endangered species.
 Sarah Harmer In Burlington the salamander has shown considerable political clout. It was the argument that the Jefferson Salamander was a protected species that prevented the Nelson Quarry from getting a permit to expand the quarry on # 2 Road. Burlington’s own Sarah Harmer made the case very convincingly at the time.
If you are really into this slimy little creature click HERE
About the Jefferson salamander
 This little creature was the reason Nelson Quarry didn’t get their permit to expand approved. In Canada, the Jefferson salamander is found in Southern Ontario in select areas of deciduous forest, mostly along the Niagara Escarpment.
Jefferson salamanders spend most of their lives underground. As the weather warms up and the spring rains begin, the salamanders emerge and migrate to breed in temporary ponds formed by run-off, laying their eggs in clumps attached to underwater vegetation. Adults leave the ponds after breeding. By late summer, the larvae lose their gills, become air-breathing juveniles and leave the pond to head into the surrounding forests.
Adult salamanders migrate to their breeding ponds during wet rainy nights. They show a strong affinity for the pond in which they hatched and can be very determined to reach it, sometimes causing them to cross busy roads.
- The Jefferson salamander is protected at both the provincial and national levels. It was added to Ontario’s endangered species list in 2011.
- Jefferson salamanders have a grey or brown-coloured back, with lighter under-parts. Blue flecks may be present on the sides and limbs.
- Adult Jefferson salamanders are 12 to 20 cm long. The long tail makes up half this length.
- Unlike most small animals, Jefferson salamanders can live a very long time; up to 30 years of age.
 By Pepper Parr
March 12th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
This is Canada and we get snow – we learned this past week just how much we can get in a short period of time ?
The farmers love it – they need that moisture in the Spring.
The folks on the residential street don’t see it quite the same way.
 The driveway is blocked with snow that has become a wall of solid ice – very hard to shovel away. One Gazette reader set out the issue and the concern:
“I guess we should be thankful that the city plows even secondary roads promptly, but they did me no favour last night. Our neighbourhood awoke today to find a half meter wall of nearly solid ice across each driveway (as well as the access from sidewalks to cross a street).
“I don’t have a solution to offer, except there must be a way to judge whether it is better to leave a snowy road alone than to give so many (often elderly) citizens a major challenge to dig out.”
The people who drive the trucks with snow plows on the front have an issue – the people that don’t bother to park their cars off the street.
Is there a solution ?
Let’s see what readers have to say.
 By Pepper Parr
March 12th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
This is the first in an ongoing series about how parents can teach their very young children about the Internet, what it can do for them and the perils that lurk in many of the messages that the child will receive. You will quickly learn that the child may know a lot more than you do technically. The parent role is to focus on values and keep your children safe.
 Children will pick up online habits from their parents When was the last time your family had “The Tech Talk”?
Like any other aspect of parenting, providing kids with safer and more joyful experiences online is often more complicated than it seems, but you’re not alone. The more frequently families talk about online safety and the role of the internet in their lives the easier it becomes. Your first Tech Talk will likely be far from perfect, but it won’t be your last and learning together with help from trusted sources can go a long way.
Be prepared to learn that your child will know more about the technical side of being on line. They will not know how to spot the danger signs.
Data tracking and the role that big tech companies play online:
Data tracking is most concerning for parents in the U.S. and least for parents in the U.K. When it comes to big tech companies, a larger number of parents in the U.K. don’t believe tech companies have their children’s best interests in mind when compared to the U.S. and other countries surveyed. In fact, research has found that by the time a kid is 13, more than 72 million pieces of personal data has been captured about them. The sites and apps your family visits on the web are very telling to the companies and third-parties that are harvesting data.
They can infer where you live, the hobbies you have, and even the products you buy.
Part 2: Coming:
Finding the equivalent of helmets for kids who go online
 By Pepper Parr
March 12th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The notice came from City Hall:
The City of Burlington’s recreational facilities, Sims Square, Downtown Transit Terminal, Halton Court Services and City Hall are closing as of 3 p.m. today, Friday, March 10. All recreation programs and rentals have been cancelled.
The snow storm was well underway and most people buckled down for a night at home. Hockey players are not “most people”.
The Burlington Cougars were to play the first game of the season finals and were scheduled to play the Markham Royals at the Central Arena.
At around 2:00 pm on Friday the 10th, the Cogeco camera crew arrived at Central Arena to set up their equipment to broadcast the game over the Cogeco Cable Network.
The doors to the Arena were locked. Banging on the doors brought the two city staff members to the door who explained that the Arena was closed and they were on their way home.
There was a Cougar volunteer in the small office the team has at the Arena was very surprised to learn that the arena wasn’t going to be open.
The several hour frantic process of ensuring that the arena would be open began.
The two city staffers couldn’t reach their supervisor, he (or she) was away for the next few days and they didn’t have the authority to do anything.
Calls were put into the Markham team who were in the process of loading their bus to get to Burlington for the 7:00 pm game.
A resourceful few made calls to the other arenas, Appleby and Mainway, where they were able to find two people (it was not clear if they were city employees or volunteers) who were prepared to keep the Central Area opened providing they were paid time and a half.
Our source, a Burlington resident who is “around” the hockey community and wanted to tell the story of what he thought was a monumental screw up.
The people doing the scrambling and making phone calls to whoever they felt they could reach wondered where “Ange” was, certain that he could solve the problem. “Ange” was Angelo Bentivegna, the ward 6 city Councillor who has been around hockey for is as long is as he has been in Burlington.
 Close attention as to just where the puck is. No one apparently tried to call him, nor did they put in a call to the Mayor or the City Manager.
The city was in the middle of a major snow storm and the city had shut down.
The Markham team managers said they had to leave no later than 3:00 pm if they were to get to Burlington on time – if they couldn’t the game would have to be cancelled.
The Cougars had home ice advantage and they didn’t want to lose that – and no one knew quite how the playoff schedule could revised if the game was cancelled.
So they did everything they could to keep the arena open – which they did.
At around 7:00 pm people began showing up – a total of about 300 people were on hand for the game –which the Cougars won.
 By Staff
March 11th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Daylight Savings Time:
As part of this time-honoured custom, the majority of Canadians will move their clocks forward by an hour on Saturday before they turn into bed, with the time change taking place at 2 am and clocks jumping ahead one hour to 3 am.
In Canada, daylight saving time (DST) is observed in nine of the country’s ten provinces and two of its three territories—though with exceptions in parts of several provinces and Nunavut.
Residents living in Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, and some parts of northwestern Ontario, BC and Quebec don’t have to do anything, as they stay on standard time year-round.
 The yellow locations are parts of Canada that do not change to Daylight Savings time .
By Pepper Parr
Match 11th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The city does a lot of surveys. At any given time there can be two or three going on at the same time. One occasion the city will extend a survey; usually because there aren’t enough responses for the survey to be valid.
The Gazette tries to survey at least once a year. The current survey will close on March 15th; if you have don’t done the survey – it isn’t very long, please take a moment to do it now.
It helps us determine what we are doing right, what needs improvement and where we are getting it wrong.
The result at this point on several of the questions are interesting.
 Pretty clear here – members of Council don’t quite see it this way. Heck they were all relected – they must be doing something right.  The size of city council is becoming a concern for those who pay attention to what happens at Council. Any change in the size of this Council would have a negative impact on some of the members of Council.  With two thirds of the respondents unhappy or disappointed – the Museum leadership should be reaching out to learn what the public wants.  Get Involved is the portion of the city web site where updates on different programs are saved. Very close to half the people who responded to the question don’t use it or don’t know it exists.  To complete the survey – please click HERE There were some surprises – places where we realized we had to make some changes.
The survey will close on the 15th. If you haven’t done the survey – we would really appreicta your taking the time to help us direct where we need to improve.
By Staff
March 11, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Land Tribunal is ultimately responsible for the decision on the outcome of the Golf Course, . That decision will be made at the end of the 10+ hearings that start in April, 2024
Millcroft Greenspace Alliance (MGA) was a Party for the community at the Case Management Conference held last week.
 “these lands will remain as permanent open space, since portions of these lands contain creek features which are part of the storm water management for the Community.” Each party is required to submit an “Issues List”. Based on the research Stormwater Management and Climate Issues are the distinct focus. The issues lists are pretty much locked at this point.
MGA will now continue the work to protect this important greenspace. They will be hiring appropriate professional representation to build the case for the community.
The Gazette is running a readership survey that will end on the 15th. Click HERE if you haven’t completed the short survey. They must have their evidence and case organized by November to present to the other parties.
 Due to the size and complexity of Millcroft Greens (the developers) application, the preparation will take months. MGA hopes the community will show their appreciation for the countless hours the volunteers have committed to this cause and make their donations early so they know that they have in the way of resources needed to do the job.
This is where the rubber hits the road:
Millcroft Green Alliance is an incorporated as a not for profit. They have put an arrangement in place with an organization that can accept donations and issue tax receipts.
There are about 3000 homes in the community – at $100 each the financial requirement can be met. Residents can see this as an investment in maintaining the value of their property and a significant step in convincing developers that some properties are not suitable development locations
 Click HERE to make your donation.
By Staff
March 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Several cars in front of the house one of our free lancers live in.
He won’t be going out today?
By Staff
March 10, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Anything that is designed to teach people how to grow relationships in their community is a step forward.
This isn’t a dating service.
What most people call Parks and Recreation is now called Recreation, Community and Culture: they are offering a six week program for people who want to learn more about building stronger community relationships.
 Director of Recreation, Community and Culture Emillie Cote A notice on Facebbok is the first we have seen of the city initiative.
No word on who is delivering the program: Is it city staff or have they done what should be done, bring in competent, outside people with in-depth experience in working with the public.
In Burlington city staff are in place to protect the city and its image.
Newly appointed Director of Recreation, Community and Culture Emillie Cote is making a difference in the way services are delivered; she appears as well to be broadening what the department does – which is certainly good news for Burlington.
The Building Neighbourhood Connections has potential
By Staff
March 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Putting the word ugly in the description of your service is a dodgy approach – even if what you are promoting is cheaper produce.
 Eat Impact Founder Anna Stegink However, groceries are not going to get any cheaper if what we are hearing from the owners of the major supermarket organizations that were grilled in Ottawa earlier this week
Eat Impact, an organization tapping into the ugly and surplus fruits and vegetables sector and delivers it to homes has launched the service this week in the Burlington, Oakville markets.
The cost of food for the average Canadian family has increased by 28% since 2020. With a projected $1,065 increase in grocery bills this year alone, shoppers continue to be challenged to stretch their budget to stock their fridge and pantry.
Eat Impact claims that billions of pounds of produce go to waste every year due to not meeting strict cosmetic retail standards and oversupply. This drives up food prices and has a big negative impact on the environment.
The company partners with farmers and distributors to rescue the ‘too ugly’ and ‘too many’ fruit and veg, and delivers it to customers at up to 40% off grocery store prices. “We are on a mission to build a more sustainable food system and help people eat well, do good and save money,” Eat Impact Founder Anna Stegink shared. “We deliver to hundreds of happy customers across the GTA.
 It’s a pretty simple business proposition. We will try it and let you know what we think. “The produce Eat Impact delivers is always fresh and sometimes funny” Stegink shared. “Over the past weeks the boxes have included curvy cucumbers, twisty carrots, giant parsnips, tiny beets and oranges with slight superficial scarring on the skin”.
Eat Impact offers a variety of produce boxes starting at just $19.95 for a box with 8 to 10 types of perfectly fresh, rescued fruit and veg. The produce selection varies weekly and customers can customize their box to swap items they don’t want or need with ones they love.
Join the rescue mission! Visit www.eatimpact.ca to learn more and sign up. Use coupon code Welcome25 to get 25% off your first box.
Worth looking at: “Always Fresh, sometimes funny”
By Pepper Parr
March 10, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
My question for Jason Pantalone, President and Managing partner of National Homes was: “How did you do it?”
How did they get to the point where they could build two eight story structure with 210 units and 57 stacked townhouses and offer them at $500,000. Not every unit has that sticker price – there are units that come in at the $700,000 level.
 One of the two eight storey mid rise structures; stacked town houses are behind the mid-rise on a site that is expected to have a lot of trees. The project has taken five years to get it to this point. The sales office is not yet open – and they may never have to build one; there are more than 1000 people on the registration list.
Among the amenities is a fitness room, a party room and a roof top terrace.
Included in the development are some co-work spaces.
 National Homes is the first development in this part of the world we are aware of that has focused on the affordable housing market. Some developers will put up a development and have a few affordable units hoping to pick up some up some brownie points.
National has had the land on Plains Road East for a number of years.
National has been in business for 30 years and currently have two developments in the Brampton market, one of which is a 25 storey tower. They have a development on the east side of the GTA in the small town of Curtis.
They are the developers of the large project at 2100 Brant.
By Staff
March 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 When in doubt “bang out” a photo. Lisa Kearns at a Regional Council meeting celebrating Womens’ day Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns said yesterday during a break in the Regional Council meeting that
“Today I have been reflecting on the many incredible women who come together to make our community better.
“I have also been deeply considering the challenges around access to equity, equality and belonging for many women.
“We have been recognizing this day since 1975 and still have a long way to go. I challenge each of us to keep making space and working to value the contributions of all women.”
By Pepper Parr
March 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We pay close attention to what is being read and have a report that tells us how many people are on line, how long they are reading and what they are reading.
We never know who is reading.
 Is this the kind of coyote behaviour the city is going to experience ? In the past few days the coyote stories have been the most frequently read – by a significant factor – on occasion more than twice as many readers as the number two on the list.
This is what people care about and are angry when they feel they are not being listened to.
One Gazette reader commented:
The joke is the coyotes are running this city and doing a much better job than we are. They have free reign, choice of food and protection from animal lovers. The coyotes don’t belong in an urban setting. They have no natural predators other than man and because people are feeding them, they are no longer afraid of us. It is not a question of if, but when a child is killed and eaten by these animals.
That is a extreme but there were occasions when adults and children were nipped which is as close as anyone wants to get to the teeth of a coyote.
You know who your council members are – reach out to them.
By Pepper Parr
March 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
What can people say when they comment? Should comments be edited?
 The views of some people don’t, at times, sync with the wider community. Their rights don’t disappear just because they have a different view. We read every comment carefully. If we see it is as factually wrong – we ask the person commenting to back up their view with facts that can be substantiated.
A number of comments are abusive and amount to personal attacks on some other commentor. Those do not get published.
From time to time we have suspended a commentor when they get a abusive.
It is not our place to decide if a comment is valid. One recent commentor made remarks about Burlington’s Member of Parliament that disturbed a Gazette reader to the point where she asked to have her name taken off the subscription list saying:
“I have been a fan of the Gazette until I read (name withheld) comments on Karina Gould….this is a disgusting comment that you should never have printed. Painting her as a communist is absolutely atrocious…my husband and I both want you to suspend our receipt of your publication…bad for our health and bad for creating division.”
Later we got:
“Anyone with these wild accusations that are obviously false should not be permitted to make statements that slander a person like Karina Gould who has great integrity.
“I understand your position is to stir some controversy but this kind of far right comment is just too anti-Canadian for me. We have enough negativity in this world.
“I will miss the information that your column provides but allowing such unedited comments sows divisiveness that is totally unacceptable.”
I know the person who complained, have met her, she is a fine person and appreciate that she looks to the Gazette for local information.
 This monument is in place for a reason – to remind us that the democracy we have needs to be defended – every day. Where I have a problem is being expected to censor a person’s point of view. It is not our place to decide that a point of view is divisive. Readers can come to their own conclusion.
What I found difficult was a viewpoint that asks us to censor a person’s view. If we start doing that who do we censor next?
The right to express a point of view is a fundamental pillar of a democratic society that many lost their lives defending.
We believe the man who wrote the comment is dead wrong – but he has the right to express an opinion.
I do regret losing the reader but the principal is too important to let others decide what a person can say.
They of course have to be polite, respectful of others and have their facts right.
Canada is sending money, munitions and tanks to Ukraine to help them defend the democracy they have – we think it a mistake to side with people who want to take that right away from people they see is as disruptive.
By Pepper Parr
March 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We are currently running a readership survey.
Set out below are some of the early results. They are not up to date.
The survey will end on March 15th – at that time we will have a more complete picture.
Is city council delivering on the promise?
 We have known for some time that people are not all that happy with this Council. This data supports our understanding. Are people pleased with the re-built Brant Museum?
 These are not good numbers for the Museum leadership. They might want to know what people expect of the museum. Is city council the right size? It currently has seven members.
 The numbers are pretty evenly split. It will be interesting to determine which wards the votes came from.
 By Staff
March 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The under 16 Ringette Association of Burlington won the silver medal at the provincial championships this past weekend in Waterloo.
The win means the team will compete at the Canadian Ringette Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan from April 9th to 15th,2023.
 They look like Champions The Burlington Team is raising funds through a Go Fund Me page and hosting a community clothing drive on March 25, 2023, in partnership with Kidney Clothes at Mainway Arena Parking lot to help support our team. Link to that GoFundMe location.
 The players are as aggressive and as skilled as anyone playing a game on ice.
 By Pepper Parr
March 8th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
One of the outcomes of the day long workshop on procedures and the flushing out of values and how members of Council wanted to be able to interact with each other was another workshop on things like what a Point of Order is and when a Point of Personal Privilege can be used.
It was also going to include a session on how to be a good Chair of a meeting.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward taking part in a Council Workshop on procedural issues It was while Council members were commenting on the idea of a workshop that Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said that if she had known more about Points of Order things may have been different at a past Council meeting.
That was a bit of a stretch. During the last meeting of the 2014 Council Meed Ward demonstrated an impressive understanding of procedure and the ability to respond very quickly.
Defeated council member Jack Dennison made a comment about Meed Ward’s Team “stealing his voters”. Meed Ward rose to speak when Mayor Goldring explained that comments were not debatable at which point Meed Ward pulled out a copy of the Procedural Bylaw and gave it to the Clerk that made it clear she was permitted to speak under a Point of Personal Privilege.
It was the first time that the public got to see how tough Meed Ward was going to be in working to replace much of what Golding’s council had done with the Official Plan that Meed Ward was going to rewrite.
The remarks Meed Ward made during the recent Workshop was the first time the public heard her inch towards an explanation for the behaviour during that terrible June meeting of Council that the Mayor chaired virtually from London, Ontario where she was attending the graduation of one of her daughters.
 Marianne Meed Ward accepting accolades from her election team the day she won the race to become Mayor. That isn’t enough.
The Mayor has to apologize to Shawna Stole, she can do that privately, and then go on camera, look directly into the lens and admit that the June 2022 day as not her best day; that she wishes it had never happened but it did and accept responsibility.
Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes lets a situation get out of hand. Real leaders know that when the err they apologize and work to ensure that kind of thing doesn’t happen again
Less hubris and more humility – it will take time but if Marianne Meed Ward wants to be the leader she aspires to be a behavioural course correction is needed now.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
March 8th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there anything to the rumour that the Hamilton Bulldog organization is looking at a Burlington location to build a new arena.
Our source knows the sport, knows the team ownership and is in that loop.
 The intersection of Brant and Fairview – a small mall set up with a Staples retail operation. There is one historical building on the site. The mall itself is not completely occupied; two major tenants have moved. There are some challenges but the people behind the Bulldogs are experienced at overcoming obstacles.
Meanwhile our friends at the Bay Observer report that Brantford city Council has voted 10 – to look at upgrading their arena from 3000 to 5000 seats and has put real money on the table look at what could be done.
From the Observer:
With the Brantford Bulldogs’ season ticket drive sitting at 2.400 for a 3,000-seat arena, the city is taking a serious look at making the team move to Brantford permanent by building an OHL-compatible arena.
On Tuesday night, Brantford Councillors voted 10-0 in favour of exploring upgrades that would bring the building up to a 5,000-seat capacity, thus meeting OHL requirements.
City staffers have now been given the green light to work on a financial plan, hiring an engagement and retaining service and sport consultants to create more ice and seating in the city.
 Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer shakes with Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis. The Bulldogs are in Brantford under a one year agreement that has three renewal options Ward 3 Councillor Dan McCrary wants to see progress made on the project during the three-years the Bulldogs have contracted to be in Brantford. “We’ve got a three-year arrangement … three one-year options, so time is not unlimited and that’s why we want to advance this during 2023,”
Both the City of Brantford and the Bulldogs will pour an estimated $7.5 million into the downtown Brantford arena to facilitate an agreement that offers the team three year-long renewals.
Brantford has agreed to spend $4.67 million including $1.63 million to install a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Today, Andrea Horwath told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton on Wednesday she’s “hopeful” the team will make its way back to the city once a multi-year $100-million renovation of FirstOntario Centre is complete.
‘It does need to be done,” Horwath said.
“Then we’ll have a state-of-the-art arena and we’ll see, hopefully, the Bulldogs back.”
Burlington Mayor Meed Ward is understood to have met with Michael Andlauer owner of the Bulldogs.
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