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January 7, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
With some research in hand, we can now report what tax increases for Burlington residents look like.  The percentages show the increase in total tax revenue as shown in each year’s approved budget. Using the year-over-year tax increase, the cumulative numbers comes in at an astounding 65.10% 
January 7th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
For nearly 10 years, Justin Trudeau governed in the rear-view mirror, driving slowly in the left lane to prevent the NDP from overtaking, but letting lots of traffic by on the right. Trudeau would regularly speak in progressive liberal tones, contrasting himself to conservatives. But pretty words weren’t backed by action. His swerves were to preserve himself, not to maneouver to a new position from which to better accomplish his goals for Canadians. He had no such goals, except to have them elect him again. A party of strategic centrism, not liberalism  Trudeau would regularly speak in progressive liberal tones, contrasting himself to conservatives. With no vision for reshaping government or Canadian society, the Liberals operated by reaction, buffeted by crisis after crisis rather than pushing through them with eyes set on their political North Pole. Justin Trudeau was not a liberal, though he could speak like one. In actions, he was a centrist, but not one of policy practicality who borrows from different traditions to reach objectives. Rather, his centrism was one of strategy and freedom of maneuver. Trudeau said he would help working people join the middle class, but stood back while inflation ravaged paycheques and home ownership dreams disappeared. He called himself a feminist and a proponent of reconciliation, but fired the strongest women in cabinet and fought against Indigenous kids in court. He was a defender of healthcare but gave premiers healthcare dollars that they spent on tax cuts or spa palaces – whatever they wished. He declared himself against the separatists and conservatives but sabotaged electoral reform that would have crushed the Bloc Quebecois and sidelined the Conservatives. The Liberal Party let down actual liberals, who were habitually abandoned and betrayed. Ironically, Singh’s fights with Trudeau created his legacy  If a Trudeau legacy exists, If a Trudeau legacy exists, it’s the one the NDP had to fight with him to create. For years, Jagmeet Singh’s NDP fought Trudeau over childcare, dental care, pharamacare and anti-scab laws. Singh’s NDP campaigned on them, tabled private members bills about them, put motions and petitions to the Commons. They endlessly fought the Liberals over them. The Liberals were against them all until the moment they discovered their survival depended upon being in favour, when they immediately tried to claim credit. Even then, Singh twice had to threaten to bring down the Liberal government if written and signed promises weren’t kept. Liberal Party loyalty always lay with Trudeau’s machinations The claim is often made the Liberal Party of Canada died somewhere around 2009 to be resurrected as the Justin Trudeau Party.  Certainly as Trudeau careened and swerved, with eyes focused in the rear-view mirror, blocking all attempted passing, the current Liberal MPs stuck with him through it all. Certainly as Trudeau careened and swerved, with eyes focused in the rear-view mirror, blocking all attempted passing, the current Liberal MPs stuck with him through it all. When Jody Wilson-Raybould was kicked out of cabinet and caucus, anonymously and personally attacked for refusing to interfere in a criminal prosecution, only one other Liberal MP stood with her. She’s also gone. The rest stuck with Trudeau, waiting to turn on him after the NDP committed to defeat him, after it was obvious Trudeau would quit, after there was a power vacuum their ambitions sought to fill. An election is now coming. One choice is cuts by Poilievre. The other is Singh’s NDP, which fought Trudeau, battles proven by the wins no one in the upcoming Liberal leader race had the courage to fight for.
January 7th. 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
 Eric Stern Monday, January 6th was the first day of skiing for “Senior Weekday Pass” holders at Glen Eden. For an early bird price of $139., you can ski from Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm., throughout the season. If you missed the early bird date you can still buy a senior weekday pass, valid until the end of the season, for $201. It has been about 10 months since my last ski. About halfway down the hill, on my first run, the existential question “Why am I here?” popped into my mind. By the third run, the endorphins had kicked in and I started having fun. One question remains, will I be too stiff to walk tomorrow? Continue reading Glen Eden opens – Sterns now has something to BRAG about.
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
Just how many not-for-profit organizations are there in the Region?
Community Development, an organization that has had its own governance problems in the past has taken the lead on improving the level of governance for non-profits in the Region. They are holding three workshops that volunteers should be required to attend if they want to serve on a board. Board Governance Essentials Workshop SeriesNavigate the complexities of non-profit governance with confidence. Continue reading Community Development Halton Undertakes to Educate the Not for Profit sector
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
Exhibitions feature Canadian artists and curators, circulating stories of place and our relationship to time.
The AGB kicks off this golden anniversary with an opening reception for our winter exhibitions, Time Isn’t Real and Dry Thunder, on January 16, 2025 from 6:30–8:00 pm. RSVP for a free ticket at the link below. Continue reading Art Gallery of Burlington celebrates 50 years of serving the public
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is celebrating a banner year with 15 new members.
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
The proposed townhouses will have a maximum building height of 3.5 storeys (13 metres), a maximum density of 42 units per hectare, 1,108m² of amenity space and four visitor parking spaces. Continue reading Walker House to be included in small townhouse development
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
Per capita income grew by more than 23 per cent on Trudeau’s watch, to $77,700, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Trudeau’s predecessor managed only a 7.6 per cent increase. In the main, Canadians became wealthier in the Trudeau years. The median net worth of Canadians soared by about 66 per cent between 2016 and 2023, to $519,000, according to Statistics Canada. Trudeau came to office with a mandate to engage in deficit spending and spend he did on both physical and social infrastructure. Those are the facts.
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON The Joseph Brant Museum is currently featuring an exhibit on Immigration in Canada. The curatorial team at the Museum reached out to local Burlington residents asking for stories on immigration experiences Charles Zach is 66 years old and has lived in Burlington “all my life”.  Charles Zach His first job here was helping farmers pick some of their crops in the summertime on Maple Avenue when it was still farmland. “I am currently a government lobbyist for Canada’s National Firearms Association. “I’ve been a H.R. manager, I’ve been in I.T., and I’ve been in architecture. “My mother and father both grew up in the northwestern regions of Hungary. It was under communist rule after the Second World War. Continue reading Charles Zack: ‘Burlington has lost a little bit of its soul.’
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
The cost is $12.00/child (includes tax), accompanying adults are complimentary. Pre-registration is required, as capacity is limited. Each week features a different theme, see below for specific dates and to register. Booking Instructions:
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
Elections are going to take place. When, no one knows for certain – but it s clear that there will be elections at the federal and provincial levels. Election fund raising tends to come from two sources: large thick wallet corporate donors or smaller sums from individuals that, on occasion, in the past proven to be a winning formula. The reality is that the big bucks from the big corporations are what pay for the cost of running an election. They pony up because the donation gives them access – and with access things get done.  Marit Stile’s: Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. Continue reading There are going to be elections: where will the money to run them come from?
January 6th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON This information is not professional investment advice. Investors are advised to do their own research into individual stocks before making an investment decision.The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider dispositions in the public market are:
January 5th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
The polls are not lying. Canadians have decided that they’d like a new PM if not a new government. When Parliament returns on January 27th both the NDP and the Tories are promising duelling confidence motions to bring the government down. If either one of these is successful Canadians will be into a winter/spring election campaign which could last as long as 51days.  Justin Trudeau will soon have time to drive the car his father left him. Mr. Trudeau is in the driver’s seat at the moment but his options are limited:
Continue reading Rivers on: The Third Option
January 4th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON “Volunteering is medicine.” “We all strive for a purpose in life said Dr. Iris Gorfinkel who added “ but for many people, they struggle with zero purpose. That need to feel needed … promotes physical exercise, social connections and a sense of gratitude.” When Dr. Gorfunkel sees her patients, there’s always chatter about how work is going, how the kids are growing and even how their pets are doing — some of which she knows by name. Continue reading ‘Volunteering is medicine.’
January 4th, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
City Council has one more week before it has to assemble and deal with the business of the city. On Monday the 13th they will answer to the Role Call, and assuming they are all there, they will get on with the business of the city. Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan, resident of ward 2, seems to spend more time with his Federation of Canadian Municipalities than he does on City of Burlington work. Nisan was appointed as the FCM representative for the City. Might be time to follow up and learn more about the work of that organization. The Agenda for the meeting on the 13th is quite light. The biggest item is an update on how the city plans to remunerate Councillors Sharman and Betivegna for the OMERS pension benefit they no longer get because they are over the age of 71.  Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman  Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna Finding a way to provide this benefit is fair but the optics from a Councillor point of view are terrible. One expects they will learn to live with it. In setting out the Agendas the City Clerk alerts the public as to what is ahead for City Council. In the February cycle there will be a report on the Bateman Community Centre. This development is something that has generated a lot of concern within the city – it has cost the city a fortune. It does turn a high school that was declared surplus by the school board into usable space. However, a lot of that space will be occupied by the Brock University which is calling the space it will use as the Brock University Burlington Campus (BUBC). They expect to move in sometime in 2025.
There might also be some mention of the new Skyview site in the eastern part of the city that should be nearing completion. The $39,021,769.55 price tag to build what is a very attractive-looking site.  Rendering of the front street level of the structure. Staff asked that Council to Approve the revised total budget of $39,433,100 with revised financing proposed. Authorize the additional funding of $2,000,000 from Tax Supported Debt; $403,000 from the Corporate Accessibility Implementation Project and $4,710,100 from the infrastructure renewal reserve fund. The city borrowed millions to cover the balance. The Skyway arena is in ward 5, Sharman territory. He said: Just slightly more than half of this cost is more than the city expected, but this is not a unique situation- that’s happening to everything. The question raised from time to time is should we wait for things to get better?  The city has gone all out in making the site as environmentally responsible as they could – cost just wasn’t an issue. The Staff report concludes that it’s going to be at least five years before the current pressure on costs decreases.This is not going to get better. If we don’t do it now. It’ll just get worse and where does that leave us? It raises all sorts of concerns about improving the infrastructure in the city and increasing the infrastructure in the city. And we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. But for now, I believe that we’re doing something that is badly needed by the city. We need the ice pads and the community rooms and the walking track.
January 3rd, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
Councillor Paul Sharman asked a simple direct question of the City’s Chief Financial Officer: He did not get a clear or complete answer; actually, he didn’t answer the question. Watch Craig Millar, Burlington’s CFO, describe a 7.5% tax increase as 3.79% in response to a question from Councillor Sharman. Have a listen: Millar slips in the word “impact” which is not what Councillor Sharman asked for. He wanted the CFO to tell him what the tax increase was. Councillor Stolte, sitting beside, Sharman did not pick up the statement the CFO made and ask for clarification. A lost opportunity.
January 3rd, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack.” (Kekius Maximus formerly Elon Musk on X) Tragic yes, but the the irony is so thick one can’t help but smile. A US veteran blows himself up in a Tesla parked outside the front doors of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas. I mean, ‘the Donald’ hates electric cars (EV’s). But he loves his unofficial banker and stooge #1 Elon Musk, or Kekius Maximus as he now calls himself on X, formerly Twitter.  Tesla vehicle on fire outside Trump Hotel in Los Angeles. Clearly the intent was to send a message – but what? Was the former soldier saying he hates Trump – protesting his election victory? Was he expressing disapproval at the unholy marriage of Donald and Elon (aka Kekius the crypto avatar)? Was he telling us that this Tesla Cybertruck is so resilient that it can withstand an explosion – which it almost did? Or was he trying to say that you need to load a Tesla with camping fuel and rocket mortars in order for it to catch fire? Despite all the fake news to the contrary bursting into fire is not a standard feature on Teslas or most other EV’s. There was that unfortunate high publicity incident of damaged battery electrodes on a number of electric Chevy Bolts, resulting in 16 fires and a recall of over 100,000 vehicles. But other internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are at least as fire prone. Hyundai recently recalled over three million ICE cars warning drivers not to park their vehicles indoors. Tesla will tell you that over the decade from 2012 to 2021, the number of fires on US roads involving Teslas was 11 times lower per mile than the comparable figure for all cars. And newer developments, such as, sodium ion and solid state batteries, are expected to reduce the fire risk even further. Other studies confirm that conclusion, including a recent one by Swedish investigators which found that your ICE guzzler is something like 18 times more likely to catch fire. An Australian study found the risk of fire with an EV was 0.0012% versus 0.1% for an ICE. Fires aboard ships have also been erroneously scapegoated onto EV’s. However, the International Union of Marine Insurance, following the Fremantle Highway (cargo ship) fire claims that….“To date, no fire onboard a Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) has been proven to have been caused by a factory-new EV.” In reality, none of the EV’s on that ship were damaged and the fire has been proven to have actually begun on another deck. But sometimes the facts don’t matter. Nowhere is that more true than with the EV. After all, if the Canadian federal target of ending gas guzzler sales by 2035 actually comes to fruition, it will have a huge impact on big oil and big oil producing jurisdictions which count on the revenue that the black gold brings in. Thousands of ICE engineers and auto workers would be affected, as would all those garage mechanics who tinker with those complex ICE engines, transmissions, exhaust systems and pollution control devices. We are victims of our past and some find something weirdly romantic about the smell of the toxic gasoline fumes, car exhaust, the roar of a leaky exhaust mufflers and the shifting of gears.  Elon Musk prancing on stage while Donald Trump speaks But the biggest challenge to the phase out of gas guzzlers is politics. For some bizarre reason there is an ideological divide over existential challenging climate change. Conservatives seem to consider global warming and all potential mitigative solutions as a threat to their way of life. Donald Trump may be the global chief climate denier but Canadian conservatives also refuse to accept climate change as a real concern. Conservatives generally don’t support renewable energy or EV’s or most other measures to reduce our carbon footprint. These changes are generally perceived as unnecessary at best, and a threat to their lifestyle at worse. That accounts for the war on carbon pricing, and provincial policies in Alberta and Ontario to slow down progress on green energy and low carbon transportation. The other kind of politics may also be the reason why EV new car registrations in Norway now exceed 80% and China which sold over 8 million new electric cars in 2023 accounts for almost 60% of the world’s EV production. By contrast Canada’s numbers barely reached 12% last year, while the US market turned in fewer than 9% of vehicles sold as EV, including hybrid models. Why are we so far behind? Elon Musk’s Tesla was the best selling car globally in 2023 so it can’t be the cars. Big oil and big auto laughed at Elon Musk until they realized the joke was on them. Today he whispers in Trump’s ear and is struggling to take over the helm of Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.  A genius. Like other genius types, Musk is a study in contrasts -unbridled by labels. Having earned his green/liberal credentials as inventor of the modern EV he is also one of the most right wing conservatives in America, even supporting near Nazi political movements in Germany and the UK. Musk defies stereotyping and makes it possible to both love and hate him. Is that perhaps what the obviously disturbed soldier in his newly rented Cybertruck was trying to say? Was his target Tesla or Musk, Musk or Trump? And why didn’t he just post his complaint on X, formerly Twitter, instead of blowing himself up?
Background links: Las Vegas Truck Bomb – Musk Quotes – EV Sales – EV Sales Canada – Ship Fire – Doug Ford’s Big Footprint – Alberta’s EV Tax –
January 3rd, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON Electoral recovery hinges on large group of undecided & NDP voters who “might” still support LiberalsThe Angus Reid Institute reports that Just days into the new year the future of the governing Liberal Party remains obscured as its most prominent figure, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, continues to mull his next plans. This, after one of the most politically challenging months of his nine-year term saw his approval and his party’s vote intention tumble to new lows. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds that in an ironic twist, the person most likely to imbue the Liberals with some (though currently faint) hope in these dire electoral circumstances is the person who played a significant part in these challenges. After she resigned as Finance Minster in December, Chrystia Freeland is most likely – among six potential candidates to potentially compete for succession in the prime minister’s resignation – to increase their party’s vote share in a future election. Currently the Liberal Party is able to rely on loyal base of just 13 per cent of Canadians. This group is most likely to stay with the party come what may. (Note, data released December 30 indicated vote intention among only decided and leaning voters at 16 per cent) In the event Freeland were to succeed as Liberal Party leader, the party’s fortunes among the total population jumps eight points to 21 per cent. While this offers her a large advantage over Mark Carney, Melanie Joly, Dominic Leblanc, Anita Anand, and Francois-Philippe Champagne, all of whom generate little change compared to Trudeau, the Conservative Party still holds a commanding advantage in all situations. In a faceoff against a Freeland-led Liberal Party, the CPC still hold a 15-point lead. For the Liberals, the challenge is clear: currently, one-quarter of Canadians (27%) say they might consider supporting that party but do not currently. Within this group of available voters two-in-five (38%) say they would vote for the NDP, while 26 per cent are initially undecided when asked about a future election. Prime Minister Trudeau does not fare well among this group that “might consider” his party. He holds a 59 per cent disapproval rating, though Pierre Poilievre fares even worse, with 79 per cent saying they view him unfavourably.
January 3rd, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON This information is not professional investment advice. Investors are advised to do their own research into individual stocks before making an investment decision.The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider acquisitions in the public market are:
The five stocks with the largest dollar value of insider dispositions in the public market are:
January 2nd, 2025 BURLINGTON, ON
If you were lucky the cats didn’t climb the tree and bring the whole thing down. Time comes to take down all the decorations and store them away for next year. And then you have to get rid of the tree – which is where your Regional government is there to help. Continue reading Christmas Tree collection dates set – January 6th and 13th
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