 By Staff
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s TEENTober, which means the Burlington Library has some extra programming just for teens all month long!
An Evening of Epic Fantasy – with authors Nicki Pau Preto (Crown of Feathers) & Joanna Hathaway (Glass Alliance).
 By Pepper Parr
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON. ON
Many of the delegations heard during the different Standing Committee events have been based on feelings and emotions; sometimes references to events on which there wasn’t very much data.
 The quarry site that has been operational for a couple of decades in nearing its life cycle. It appears it can still kick up a storm. So far there hasn’t been anything in the way of a delegation by the Nelson Aggregate people – their representatives may have spoken for them but no one from Lagarge, the company that owns Nelson has appeared.
There have been good arguments about the need for the aggregate given the number of high rise towers that will be needed in Burlington to accommodate the number of new residents that will be Burlingtonians come 2031.
Hard, rock solid, evidence, (no pun intended) has been hard to come by. We got to view a video on The Cloud earlier today, the link is in red. It runs for a couple of minutes and it is slow – but when you see that cloud of dust you might want to watch it a second time and ask – Is this what is happening now – and Is this what we can expect in the future?
It is slow – but take the time to watch it
 By Pepper Parr
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Conservative Party Association released the results of a portion of the 338 poll that showed where the party stood in the Burlington constituency. The complete national poll can be seen HERE.
The poll has a +/- variance of 7% – making those numbers less than bankable.
In the world of politics you take what you can get.
 By Staff
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre announces its participation in this year’s Ontario Culture Days Festival; an annual celebration of arts and culture across the province providing free community art events that continue the support, engagement and awareness of the arts in our communities.
BPAC has removed one of the barriers to performing arts participation – all the events are free. This strengthens the community of artists, arts patrons and the general public by offering a full day of free and accessible community programming; supporting the cultural development of the city—and in turn—the quality of life within our shared communities.
This year BPAC offers a combination of performances and interactive events that will showcase performing artists and organizations that can be found in Burlington and the surrounding region.
 By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Sara Harmer Sarah Harmer was raised on a farm adjacent to the Nelson Quarry.
The popular singer has been part of the organizations that have fought the expansion of the quarry from the very beginning.
She was a major witness in the first application Nelson Aggregates made to expand their license.
 Sample of karst rock – used by thousands of area residents to decorate their front lawns. During her delegation Monday night she said: “So much of what I feel and have concerns about when we started Pearl back in 2005, when we didn’t know much about aggregate issues and quarry and land use issues in general, we sought the advice of renown local hydro geologist Wilf Ruhland and had him come to our place.
“He looked at the map of Mt. Nemo and said: “Do you see all the blue lines emanating from the top of this plateau? Then added he couldn’t think of a worse place to go in below the water table. This is the headwaters of so many creeks and streams, the grindstone Creek, Bronte, there’s so many of them that begin at this high head-water area.
“He also asked us if we knew what karst geology was, I don’t think anybody knew what karst rock meant; he went on to explain that karst is a type of geology that is quite rare and is found in ancient land forms like the Niagara Escarpment. It is rock that has been worn down by millions of years by water to create caves and fissures and sinkholes and springs.
” It’s a place that not even experts can predict where you’re going to impact; it’s like looking at a loaf of sourdough bread. It looks really solid on the top and as soon as you cut into it, it’s just full of holes. The many assurance that Nelson aggregates is giving us as far as well water protection and Source Water Protection is not credible.
 Sarah Harmer’s father, Alan (Clem) and mother Isabelle, who were once described by former Mayor, the late Walter Mulkewwich, as Burlington royalty. Sitting in the front row during the three hour meeting. “Experts have seen the modelling the company used; it is very generic and does not express the complexity of what’s going on at Mt. Nemo. I’m here representing my family who have lived on Mt. Nemo for 53 years this month. My mom Isabelle and my dad are in the audience tonight.
“Years ago I stood at the back of our farm on number one side road with a provincial government hydrogeologist in 2006 or 2007; we were up there on the high ground and he said “What’s this doing here as he was pointing at a pond and said you know this isn’t getting flow from anywhere else. This is not downstream of anywhere. This is happening because of an upwelling through the karst limestone, and you can’t predict where these rare springs and seeps and ponds will pop up out of the rock.
“And you can’t predict what impacts blasting and mining and explosive industrial activity will have. And as you know there are hundreds of wells all surrounding the proposed extraction area, on the west side especially, that’s one of the reasons this is an even worse proposal than the first go round because of the Burlington springs western expansion.
“There are so many residents along Cedar Springs that are in the down gradient to where Nelson wants to expand and the impacts to their wells, the impacts to the meet at Valley and the area of natural scientific interest are unknown and unknowable.
“I want to tell one little story about what happened a couple a couple of summers ago. Imperial Oil wanted to put a diesel pipeline through the right of way at the back of our farm.
“They were right next to the Jefferson salamander habitat, the provincially significant headwaters of the grindstone Creek which is provincially protected. They had to drill underneath this section of the wetland. The hydrogeologists had a lot of experts on the case and they thought they were in solid rock.
“They were drilling a test drill with drilling mud underneath this provincially segment wetland and Jefferson salamander habitat.
“They were wrong. They hit a seam or a fissure, a crack in the rock that they did not predict. And up came thousands of litres of drilling mud and fluids, bentonite and a whole bunch of other combined fluids many meters away from where they were drilling into this provincially significant wetland.
“They had to alert us, they had to alert the Ministry of Environment. It was an unexpected void in the rock that they came across that then created this major spill.
“Now that’s Imperial Oil who you know put in pipelines all over the place, and yet they missed it. They didn’t understand that on Mt. Nemo you can’t be sure of what you’re going to impact Our well went dry and we have had to use our barn well for the last few decades. Our neighbour’s well went dry on number one side road. We know people on number two side road whose wells have gone dry. The impacts are unknowable, any assurances that the company has been floating are not credible.
 Sarah Harmer performing at an outdoor CORE fund raiser. “The precedent has been established for the protection the land Nelson wants to quarry. Nelson in their plan for the southern edge of the southern proposed expansion area plan to pump and de water into a wetland in the West arm of the Mt Nemo tributary. They want to de water into this amphibian habitat.
“There’s are so many reasons to oppose this project. Decisions made now are among the most consequential in history. We are at a tipping point, as we know, and the compelling evidence has been laid out beautifully before you tonight and in the JART report.
“I would encourage you to continue on the path that Burlington has been on to protect our beautiful and precious world biosphere in our backyard to protect the well water, to protect the endangered species. We have incredible grasslands, prime agricultural soil and forests and wetlands that are sequestering carbon in the north part of our city. Please give it your all.”
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
After asking more people in Canada to donate blood and plasma this summer and despite many answering the call, distribution of blood to hospitals continues to outpace the number of donations being made—especially in Ontario, where nearly half of Canada’s population lives.
“Canadian Blood Services sends Ontario hospitals about 7,400 units of blood per week to treat patients so it’s incredibly important that people donate blood—or other blood components, like plasma and platelets—to prevent patient care from being impacted,” says Dr. Katerina Pavenski, head of Division of Transfusion Medicine, at St. Michael’s Hospital-Unity Health Toronto and member of the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products.
 “When a patient needs blood urgently, there is no substitute. Without it, lives are at stake.”
In addition to serious trauma and emergency care, blood and blood products are a critical part of everyday medical care including major surgeries, medical procedures, cancer treatments and managing diseases and disorders.
“As quickly as we collect blood, hospitals are calling for more. There are simply not enough people donating in Ontario to ensure patients’ needs will continue to be met long term,” says Mark Newburgh, director, donor relations and collections, Canadian Blood Services.
While Canadian Blood Services manages a national inventory and blood can be moved around the country, the national blood system depends on donors showing up across Canada, including people right here in Burlington.
 Andrew Pateman, Vice-President, People, Culture and Performance with Canadian Blood Services. Blood donors in Burlington help ensure hospitals in this province receive the blood they need — including the Joseph Brant Hospital, which needs more than 2,800 units of blood every year. To keep meeting the needs of patients in Burlington and elsewhere in Canada, 658 people are needed to donate blood in the next four weeks at the Burlington donor centre located at 1250 Brant Street.
There are roughly 10 million people in Ontario who are eligible to donate blood, yet only a mere fraction do—just 1.5 per cent of the population.
“Life can change in seconds, and you or someone you love may need blood urgently. It’s up to all of us to ensure we can save lives here at home,” says Newburgh.
Don’t count yourself out. Canadian Blood Services regularly updates our eligibility criteria for donating blood. You may be able to donate—even if you couldn’t before.
Go to blood.ca, download the Give Blood App or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and book an appointment today, tomorrow and in the coming weeks.
If you cannot donate, you can still help save lives in other ways. Visit blood.ca to learn how you can make all the difference for patients and their families. You can also ask friends, family and colleagues to donate blood and share the message on social media.
By Staff
September 19th. 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It is called Alert Burlington, a free emergency notification system created to keep you informed about local emergencies – floods, gas leaks, and accidents that could put you or your property at risk. The City encourages residents and people who work in the city to subscribe.
In case of an emergency, Alert Burlington will send you messages through text, email, or phone calls. It will also give you instructions on whether you should leave your location or stay put.
Since its launch in 2022, there hasn’t been a need to send out any emergency alerts. However, it’s always a good idea to be prepared.
Sign up for this free community alert service by clicking HERE
You’ll need to provide your name, address, and contact information.
Those who are already registered with Alert Burlington should log in at least once a year to make sure contact information is up to date.
 Burlington Fire Chief Karen Roche Fire Chief Karen Roche explains: “When it comes to responding to emergency situations, time is of the essence. Alert Burlington is a tool that helps us connect with subscribers quickly to ensure they have access to real-time information in an emergency. It’s great to see the amount of people subscribed to the platform increasing, and I hope it continues to trend that way.”
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Council Chamber has not see a crowd like this since well before the pandemic was declared in 2020.
They came prepared to clap and cheer – which is a no no in Burlington.
The meeting lasted more than three hours with at least 20 delegations.
Lots to report on – the transcript of the meeting ran to 120 pages. Set out below are pictures of some of the delegators.
We are not going to be able to publish all the delegations – each person was given ten minutes to make their point.
We will provide a few today and follow up with several others later in the week.
 
 By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was unable to attend three meeting on Monday.
She was ill and remained at home according to a comment made by Councillor Paul Sharman who was chair of a public meeting on the Quarry Monday evening.
There were two excellent workshops held on Monday – participation from the Mayor would have been useful.
By Staff
September 18, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Today there was a special flag-raising at Burlington City Hall.
United Way Halton & Hamilton (UWHH) announced its fundraising goal for its 2023-2024 campaign with a huge nabber setting out the $12.5 million they want to raise this year.
 Banner raised in front of city hall – it’s official – United Way will raise $2,500,000 this year. This year’s campaign theme is “Nothing Matters More” is meant to unite our community, emphasizing the importance of standing together to support our most vulnerable community members.
Together, we can support those facing poverty, mental health challenges, domestic violence, addiction, isolation and disconnection.
 Flag will fly for some time. In attendance for this special day was Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, who stepped in as Deputy Mayor for Ceremony for the flag-raising and proclamation reading, and to Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, Councillor Lisa Kearns, City of Burlington staff . Also in attendance was UWHH President and CEO Brad Park, 2023 Campaign Cabinet Chair Matt Wickham, UWHH VP of Marketing & Communications Kristen Jacob.
Now where does the money raised go?
United Way Halton & Hamilton is accountable to donors and the community. Donations are overseen by staff and a volunteer committee of professionals, who ensure that it is making the biggest difference possible.
They strive for administrative and fundraising costs to represent 23-26%.
The audited financial statements for the 2022-2023 fiscal year highlights that we were able to keep these costs below the targeted range, at 22%.
UWHH takes pride in their ability to keep their operating costs well below the 35% threshold identified by Canada Revenue Agency.
They work strategically to keep Fundraising and administrative fees low by working with volunteers and retaining sponsored employees from community workplaces.
The investments the United Way makes are based on the evidence they gather which is set out in the Impact report they prpduce every tear.
We’ll tell you more about that later in the campaign.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The federal government returns to the House of Commons today – they think they have found a way to deflect the heat they are getting from the public – they are going to invite all the head honchoes of the supermarkets that are reporting significant profit increases and let them know that food prices have to come down.
It will be interesting to learn how that works out.
 NDP Leader of the Opposition Marit Stiles in a soybean field in the Greenbelt. Next week the provincial government returns to the Legislature where to Ford government is going to have to answer a barrage of questions from the opposition. The NDP Leader of the Opposition has been doing a superb job – the two investigations that have put the government in a very tight spot were the result of letters that Marit Stile wrote.
There is some doubt that she will ever be asked to form a government but she deserves huge kudos from the people of the province for the job she has done.
In practice the approach is to wait until the other shoe falls – in the current situation both shoes have fallen – should the RCMP decide that an investigation is necessary to determine if there have been criminal acts – watch how messy this gets.
 If you’re in trouble and don’t want to talk about this issues – a photo op will keep you in the news. Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre hard at work.  The Progressive Conservative rank and file are having a tough time over what many think is an attempt to make the Greenbelt a location for some of the badly needed housing.
The public is hearing nothing from the MPP’s – they are saying nothing. On September 13thand 14th Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre took the photo op route – not a word from her on the Greenbelt issue.
 By Staff
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
They have positioned the event is as the ultimate art bash with a pricey ticket
It is described as exciting evening devoted to contemporary art and thrilling entertainment.
The event promises to be an unforgettable experience, featuring electrifying digital performances, DJ sets that will make you want to dance, and enchanting mystical encounters.
They don’t want you to miss out on this one-of-a-kind adventure as the gallery transforms into a pulsating extravaganza for one night only.
The event runs from7:00 pm to midnight – this event is 19+
Tickets are $200 a pop and are avaiable right HERE
A portion of your ticket is tax receiptable and your tax receipt will be sent following the event.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is what is happening in Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Pickering, Clarington – will it be any different in Burlington, Milton and Oakville.
 Ajax and Clarington are not unlike Burlington – the tax experience there is what Burlington might be looking at before the end of the year. Durham Region chief administrative officer Elaine Baxter-Trahir and commissioner of finance Nancy Taylor both warned that 2025-28 could see high property tax increases for years to come.
The pair of senior Region bureaucrats delivered a whopping recommended increase of 9.75 per cent to the Region’s finance committee on Tuesday morning, made up of a 2.50 per cent increase alone to the Durham Regional Police Service — including 76 new positions, 20 of which will be front line officers — and 7.25 per cent for other increases.
The bottom line is that for an average house assessed in Durham Region in 2023 at $483,100, the property owner will pay an additional $301 in 2024. As the Region represents 52 per cent of the property tax bill, the real increase for property taxpayers will be 5 per cent, but that will be blended with the local municipal tax increase you’ll receive.
“A very difficult message to communicate is that this is not just a one-year levy increase,” said Taylor.
“We have been suggesting for many years that the funding model between the province and federal government and municipalities has needed to be addressed and is finally coming all to a critical point at the same time,” she said of the large increase.
For the people of Burlington – This is the time to let your city Councillors know what you are prepared to pay for and not prepared to pay for.
This year the budget will be presented to the public by the Mayor and be known is as the “Mayor’s Budget”.
Related news item:
Can Mayor Meed Ward learn how to stop spending?
Mayor working on her strut
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Now we know.
The numbered company is Nelson’s land division.
Bestway TV and Appliances is the company that owns Burlington Springs golf course.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It is going to be a long night.
The Quarry issue is before Council this evening. There are at this point 33 delegations.
As of the drafting of this report, the City has received a total of 2343 written comments from members of the public which includes 830 written comments provided directly on the City’s Official Plan Amendment application. Notices were sent in August of 2020 to 165 addresses within 120 metres of the subject properties.
The application is now in litigation at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). The next case management conference (CMC) is scheduled for October 11, 2023. As there are other approvals required under a variety of statutes the hearing regarding the City of Burlington Official Plan Amendment application will proceed as a consolidated hearing under the Ontario Land Tribunal Act.
On August 3, 2022, City of Burlington Community Planning Staff received a notice of appeal to the City of Burlington Official Plan Amendment application (505-04/20) for non-decision on the aggregate expansion application.
A similar appeal was filed with the Region of Halton on the associated Regional Official Plan Amendment application. Both applications were referred to the OLT by the end of August 2022. Originally, an OLT case management conference (CMC) was scheduled for February 23, 2023; this was subsequently postponed to June 29, 2023.
 The early thinking by Nelson Aggregates was to turn the site into a public park. The community didn’t seem to go for that idea. At the April 27, 2023, meeting of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) the Commission decided to refer NEPA PH 219 20 to the OLT and to refuse Development Permit Application (DPA) H/E/2020-2021/108. The noted DPA refusal was subsequently appealed by the applicant and will likely be consolidated with the other appeals at the OLT.
 The City is actively participating in matters before the OLT; additional reporting to Council on litigative matters is anticipated before the next CMC.
Interesting bit of information on the list of the participants. Nelson Aggregate Co.is represented by 546958 Ontario Limited and Bestway TV and Appliances Limited.
That needs some looking into.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Hamilton United Way is driven by people.
With a staff compliment of 40 plus a couple of additional people during the 15 week fund raising drive they have their work cut out for them The drive this year is to raise $12,500,000
UWHH (United Way Halton Hamilton) takes in four sponsored staff; people who come from the private and public sectors and are seconded to the United Way for 15 weeks
 Jenna Baird, a provincial civil servant seconded to the United Way for 15 weeks. One of the four this year is Jenna Baird who works as an Inspector with the Ministry of Labour
Her experience will be put to good use at the United Way as they reach out to the community during the fund raising phase as they are now in
Jenna moved into the Region in 2019 and wanted to know more about where she now lived. When she learned there was an opportunity to take part in what the United Way does she applied and was accepted and became one of four people that are referred to is as sponsored employees.
The idea of “giving back” has always been something Jenna Baird was interested in doing but she hadn’t found a place where she could do very much.
The United Way was an opportunity to make the giving back very real.
 It wasn’t the kind of work that Jenna Baird did while with the Ministry of Labour. We met Jenna at the United Way Big Plane Pull – she wasn’t part of a pulling team when we interviewed her – she was on standby if a team was short one person. Each pulling team needed 15 members.
Her chance to pull came at the very end of the contest – so there she was with her hands gripping a very thick rope and pulling really hard. It wasn’t hard enough to be in the top three but they did manage to cross the finish line.
We are going to circle back and talk to Jenna again when her assignment is finished to learn what she will take away from the experience and what she learned while the proudly wore her red T shirt.
By Pepper Parr
September 17th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It happens – mischievous unknowns hack into service providers and every gets shut down.
A note from one of the services we use reported:
Good news!
Your site is back online.
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By Pepper Parr
September 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The weather was perfect, the turnout was great and the mood of the close to 1000 people who gathered at the Hamilton International Airport to take part in the Big Plane Pull was upbeat.
 The objective was for 15 people to pull this 200,000 pound UPS aircraft 50 feet in the shortest time possible. The best time this year was 20.31 seconds. The United Way Plane Pull raised over $171,000+, which has been an incredible start to the campaign kickoff.
The banner with the campaign target was rolled out to make public the United Way Halton & Hamilton’s (HHUW) 2023-2024 campaign goal of $12,500,000 for this year.
Fifty teams, with 15 members each pulled the 200,000 pound plane across the sun soaked tarmac.
The best time was achieved by the Reliance Home Comfort team that did it in 20.31 seconds. There were two teams tied for second place.
 Registration tables were well run – more than 1000 took part in the plane pull – fund raising event. The occasion was a family event with people streaming in and lining up at the Registration table.
There was a kids play area that was a non-stop operation along with a Face Painting station
HHUW President Brad Park said: ” This year’s goal presents an ambitious challenge to help transform the lives of the community.
“Last year 143,562 families and individuals received support from United Way Halton & Hamilton. Energized by the strides made over the last year, the mission for this year’s campaign is to enrich the lives of an even larger number of individuals and families in Burlington, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Milton, and Oakville.”
By Staff
September 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
United Way Halton & Hamilton has launched its 2023-24 fundraising campaign, aiming to raise $12.5 million to support the network of critical social services across the community.
 The target for the 2023 campaign; $170,000 raised during the Big Pull This year’s goal presents an ambitious challenge to help transform the lives of the community. Last year 143,562 families and individuals received support from United Way Halton & Hamilton. Energized by the strides made over the last year, the mission for this year’s campaign is to enrich the lives of an even larger number of individuals and families in Burlington, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Milton, and Oakville.
With a growing network of 106 community programs, United Way Halton & Hamilton aim to magnify their impact and bring about a profound transformation in the lives of the expanding community.
 A community is about family and people. The United Way serves as a safety net for both. In Burlington, United Way Halton & Hamilton funds 46 programs that serve more than 17,340 people.
“We’re coming out of the gate strong this year, and having witnessed the remarkable influence of a community united in supporting its most vulnerable, we’re deeply inspired. This ignites our commitment to enhancing program capacity, ensuring every individual in need can access essential resources without delay,” says Brad Park, President and CEO of United Way Halton & Hamilton.
“We have encountered an array of challenges over the past few years, which have reshaped our lives in unexpected ways. Yet, amidst these trials, we’ve seen the incredible resilience that our community has when we stand shoulder-to-shoulder. As we approach the threshold of a pivotal year for Burlington, we’re committed to leading the way for positive change and resources to build a better future.”
Local Love Community Match
This year, United Way Halton & Hamilton introduced the Local Love Community Match. With every $4 donation, an additional $1 is added to the gift by a group of generous community members and local corporations. Thanks to this match, any gift to United Way holds even more power. This is not just giving, it’s multiplying impact – addressing local challenges, supporting families, and empowering individuals in Halton & Hamilton.
 “Long-time Philanthropic Circle supporters approached United Way Halton & Hamilton this spring to build a Community Match for our 2023 Annual Campaign,” said Park. “Thanks to their generous investment, along with other supportive local philanthropic individuals and organizations, this will be a milestone campaign, where every contribution amplifies positive change that will foster a better life for everyone, locally. This match has been built by the community, for the community. With this support, I’m confident we’ll achieve our fundraising goal of $12.5 million,” says Park.
 “Our community has rallied in remarkable ways during the past few years and we will continue driving that momentum forward,” says campaign chair Matt Wickham. “Our collective work, in ensuring people have access to the help they deserve, is critical to building a thriving community. This year’s Local Love Community Match provides an incredible way to amplify the impact of your contribution to United Way Halton & Hamilton. Whether you’ve been a long-time supporter or are considering your first gift, now is the time to help create lasting change.”
United Way Halton & Hamilton kicked off the $12.5 million campaign with its signature Plane Pull event, on September 16, 2023.
Teams, consisting of 15 participants each, had one opportunity to pull a 200,000 pound plane fifty feet along the tarmac at the Hamilton International Airport, in the shortest amount of time. The goal for the event was to raise $100,000 to kick-start the campaign.
Related news stories:
Plane pull raises $170,000
United way gears up for the big push
By Pepper Parr
September 16th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington is hosting it’s third annual Food for Feedback event today between noon and 4 p.m. at Central Park Bandshell (2299 New St.). Residents can come to enjoy a free meal in exchange for sharing their thoughts on City projects.
 City staff, Mayor Meed Ward and members of Council will be there to listen to resident feedback.
The free drop-in event features more than 28 booths and four food trucks. There is a special area called the ‘Kidz Zone’ sponsored by Canadian Tire where children can have fun while family members provide feedback on City projects. Feedback collected at the event will help the City continue to improve services and initiatives.
If it rains, the event will move to the Burlington Senior’s Centre.
This year, the City will be seeking feedback and sharing information on topics including:
• Burlington Transit
 • Climate resiliency
• Customer experience with the City
• Volunteer programming
• Future use of former Robert Bateman High School
• Civic Square Renewal
• Community Engagement Charter
• Corporate Communications
• 2024 Budget
• Transportation options
 • Recreation
• Parks
• Committees of Council
• Official Plan revisions, and more.
Anything missing? Notice that there is nothing on the Arts. The Brant Museum, the Performing Arts Centre and the Art Gallery – collectively these organizations cost the city in excess of $2 million and attract thousands as well as contributing to the quality of life.
Will any of the Executive Directors be at a booth? (These are the most senior members of the Civic administration
Key front line staff that can answer specific questions will be there.
There will not be any external booths except in the sponsors area.
City manager Tim Commisso might attend. The Mayor is going to be on hand.
Councillors Galbraith, Nisan and Kearns will have booths. Councillors Stolte, Bentivegna and Sharman will be in attendance, but no booths.
What is all this going to cost? The last such event came in at about $25K. The Communications people don’t yet have the final cost for this year.
The information flow for this event is going to be from citizens to staff. They want to hear what you have to say – this is your opportunity to let them know what you will put up with in terms if a tax rate and what you want in the way of services.
Some might want to set out what they think on a piece of paper and leave it at some of the booths.
The event will not be burdened with the limitations of a delegation. You get to ask any question you want.
 Should this be an annual event? Should there be such an event in each ward? In the past the events have had a bit of a festive air to them. Given good weather people are able to wander about, talk to neighbours and follow up on specific issues they might have.
When city council was debating on how the Food for Feedback event was to be structured every member of Council wanted such an event in their ward. Several knew exactly where such an event could be held. This was seen by most members of Council is as the Mother of Photo Ops. And in Burlington, the photo op is the tool that the politically inclined find works best.
Works for them – does it work for you?
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