By Staff

June 26^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

More than eight million drivers in Ontario will be able to have their licence plates renewed automatically;  The change takes effect on July 1, 2024

The Ministry  of Transportation first  eliminated licence plate sticker fees for passenger vehicles, saving drivers $120 a year for every car they own. Now, the province is saving drivers valuable time and making their lives easier by automatically renewing licence plates.

Licence plates for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds will renew automatically 90 days before expiry if the vehicle owner has valid insurance and no outstanding fines or tolls. If a licence plate cannot be renewed automatically, the vehicle owner will be notified and required to manually renew online or in person at ServiceOntario.

Until automatic licence plate renewals take effect, vehicle owners are required to manually renew their plates at no cost. Ontarians can check their licence plate status at ontario.ca/platerenewal.

Vehicle owners can ensure they do not miss digital notifications about issues related to automatic renewal by signing up for ServiceOntario reminders at https://reminders.ontario.ca/en or 1-800-387-3445.

• Vehicle owners who have signed up for ServiceOntario digital notifications will be sent notifications through email, text, or voicemail if their licence plates cannot be renewed at 90, 45, and 10 days before expiry, and again at 72 hours after expiry.
• Vehicle owners who have not signed up for digital notifications will be sent paper notifications by mail 90 days before expiry and 72 hours after expiry.
• The introduction of automatic licence plate renewals will not change the way the province, municipalities or the 407 ETR collect unpaid fines and tolls.

 

 

 

By Pepper Parr

June 25^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Every four years BMA Management Consulting Inc., prepares a financial condition assessment report for the city.

The BMA people prepare similar reports for many municipalities in the province which gives them a deep understanding on how well or poorly the municipalities are doing financially

The report is an analysis of the City’s current financial health and position, observations and review of the city’s existing financial policies and comparison to the last financial condition assessment, which was completed in 2019.

The intent of the BMA report is to provide a systematic process to monitor and evaluate a municipality’s financial outlook and performance using several recognized financial indicators, which are structured into the following three sections:

1. Growth and Socio-Economic indicators
2. Municipal Levy, Property Taxes and Affordability
3. Financial Position

The analysis includes a comparison of Burlington’s results against recognized industry standards, provides historical trend information, as well as a comparison to seven peer municipalities, being Oakville, Milton, Markham, Whitby, Oshawa, Kitchener and St. Catharines. The same municipalities were also used in the previous study as comparators.

For each of the three sections, this report summarizes in a table the financial indicators for Burlington based on the consultants’ review. In addition, a comparison to the 2018 results is provided to denote changes/trends as follows:

• Positive: an alignment with the City’s goals, policies and industry standards. At or above the targeted performance indicator and/ or trending positively
• Neutral: a situation where the City is not yet fully aligned with the City’s goals, policies and industry standards. No target indicator and/ or stable trend.
• Caution: indicates that a trend has changed from a positive direction and is going in a direction that may have an adverse effect on the City’s financial condition and/ or trending negatively. This is also used to indicate that, although a trend may appear to be positive, it is not yet in conformance with the City’s goals, policies or industry standards.

Below are some highlights of BMA’s evaluation.

1.          Growth and Socio-Economic Indicators – Summary

Growth and socio-economic indicators encompass various economic and demographic characteristics including population, employment, household income, assessment, construction and business activities.

Highlights

• From 2006 to 2022, average annual population growth in the city is 1%. Much of the new growth in the city will be through intensification, impacting future service delivery
• The city is in the midst of a demographic shift with a growing population of adults 65+, impacting the ratio of working-age people to seniors to 2.7 in 2021 which is lower than the provincial average (3.3). Resulting in fewer working taxpayers, and a greater proportion of residents on fixed incomes
• Commercial vacancy rate has increased substantially from 5% in 2019 to a high of 23.1% in 2022, driven by the increasing work from home trends
• Residential / non-residential construction activity is a 61/39 split (over the last five years), representing a good balance between these two types of development, signifying a well-diversified assessment base to support municipal programs
• The City’s weighted assessment per capita is the third highest in the survey, an indicator of the community’s ability to pay for services and support municipal programs
• Annual average net assessment growth in the city has declined sharply to 0.62% which may be an ongoing challenge
• Growth will continue in the city driven by intensification to facilitate the provincial housing pledge of 29,000 units by 2031

2.          Municipal Levy, Property Taxes and Affordability – Summary

This section provides an overview of the cost of municipal services (property taxes) in the City and affordability compared to peer municipalities.

Highlights

• 69% of revenues were from property taxes in 2023, compared to 65% in 2018, reflecting a growing reliance on property taxes
• The tax burden tends to be low for all property classes except for multi-residential, commercial shopping and industrial in comparison to the other municipalities in the comparator group, this is partially due higher tax ratios in Halton Region for these property classes.
• The levy per $100,000 of weighted assessment is less than the average of the municipal comparator group, reflecting a lower level of municipal spending in relation to the assessment base
• Property taxes as a percentage of household income in Burlington are the third lowest in the survey average of municipal comparators, thereby reflecting residential affordability as it relates to municipal taxes in relation to the current service levels
• The city has roughly the same level of tax spending as the peer average on a per capita basis. It will become increasingly difficult to reduce the increase in costs for providing municipal services at the current experience of inflation

Financial Position – Summary

Reserves and reserve funds when used in conjunction with debt policies are a critical component of a municipality’s long-term financial plan and financial health.

Reserves and reserve funds provide tax rate and cash flow stability when the City is faced with unforeseen or uncontrollable events. It ensures cash flows are sustained and allows for internal financing for temporary or one-time expenditures. Furthermore, these funds provide the City flexibility to manage debt levels and allows for planning future liabilities.

The city has four categories of reserves and reserve funds.

• Stabilization Reserves and Reserve Funds
• Capital Reserve Funds
• Corporate Reserves and Reserve Funds
• Program Specific Reserves and Reserve Funds

The city also maintains reserve funds for Local Boards, which were established in response to specific programs for each board. Their operating surpluses are used to fund their respective reserve funds.

Stabilization Reserves & Reserve Funds

 These types of reserves and reserve funds are used to mitigate the risk of raising taxes or reducing service levels due to temporary revenue shortfalls or unanticipated expenditures. It is restricted to unforeseen or temporary events, which can include the previous year’s operating deficits.

Overall, the target balance for the consolidated stabilization reserve funds (excluding Building Permit Stabilization Reserve Fund) is set at 10%-15% of the City’s own source revenues. As of 2022, the consolidated balance of these reserve funds is below target at 9.3%.

Capital Reserve Funds

As stated in the City’s Strategic Plan, all city infrastructure will be maintained in a state of good condition. Annual contributions that are consistent and predictable to capital reserve funds is vital for the future rehabilitation and replacement of assets to be able to meet this goal.

The city’s capital reserve fund policy recommends that as a general principle a consolidated target for capital reserve funds should be a minimum balance of 2% of the total asset replacement value. Based on the city’s 2021 total asset replacement value of

$5.2 billion, this equates to $104 million. As of 2022, the City’s uncommitted consolidated year-end balance in capital reserve funds is approximately $28 million, well below the intended target. Furthermore, the consolidated balance in capital reserve funds has decreased by 31% over the last five years.

Capital reserve funds are a critical component of the city’s 2021 long-term asset management financial plan (F-34-21) and are conservatively employed to minimize impact to financial flexibility and overall liquidity. Declining capital reserve funds along with escalating inflation and greater expectations of quality programs, as highlighted in Appendix A, suggest an increase to the dedicated levy at a quicker pace to avoid further increases in the infrastructure gap. This is in line with the recommendations in F-20-23, Asset Management Financing Plan Update, emphasizing continued importance on sustaining and growing the dedicated infrastructure levy to build reserves and create financial sustainability.

Corporate Reserves & Reserve Funds

These reserve and reserve funds are used to manage current costs that will be transferred to future generations, as the City incurs liabilities that do not have to be paid immediately.

Reserve funds in this category include the Employee Accident, Benefits and Insurance reserve funds.

Contributions to Corporate Reserve/Reserve Funds should take into consideration the liability associated with these funds. A sufficient budget allocation is required to fund the WSIB costs and employee benefits so that the Employee Accident Reserve Fund and Benefits Reserve Fund can eventually be replenished to cover the liabilities.

Program Specific Reserves & Reserve Funds

Program specific funds are established from time to time by Council based on needs of the community. Some examples are the Community Heritage, Culture, Forestry and numerous Parks & Recreation related reserve funds.

Growth Related Reserve Funds

Development charges (DC) will be applied to the full extent permitted by legislation. Currently, there are seven DC reserve funds under the city’s existing by-law for transportation, storm drainage, fire, transit, library, parks and recreation, and development related studies.

Community benefits charges (CBC) replace the former section 37 provisions under the Planning Act. Municipalities can use CBCs to fund capital costs, of any public service, that are related to the needs associated with new growth if those costs are not already recovered from development charges and parkland provisions.

Park dedication is used by the city to provide land for park or other public recreational purpose. This is accomplished through dedicated parkland as part of a development application or through cash-in-lieu received which the city uses to purchase land for parks and other recreational facilities.

Based on the financial assessment completed by Watson & Associates   the passing of Bill 23 legislation will have a significant financial impact on the City’s revenue collection for development charges, community benefits charge, and park dedication (cash-in-lieu/land conveyance). This will restrict the city’s ability to fund growth-related infrastructure in a timely manner and exert pressure on the city’s operating budget to support complete communities.

Debt Management

The city’s debt policy limits the total debt charges as a percentage of net revenues to 12.5% (provincial legislated limit is 25%). As of December 31, 2022, the City’s total debt charges as a percentage of own source revenue is estimated to be 13.64% (as per report F-06-23 – Quarterly Status Report).

In 2020, in order to create a more flexible and adaptable policy, while continuing to allow for quality investment decisions, meet legislative obligations and respond to community needs in a timely manner, the city updated its debt policy to provide for a temporary overage. The city’s debt policy contains an allowance to temporarily exceed the 12.5% to a maximum of 15% for no more than three (3) consecutive years. The corresponding recovery from the overage should also be sustained for a minimum of three years. The city’s current debt limit is within the parameters as defined by the policy.

The city makes every effort to minimize the impact of debt-servicing costs and manage future debt levels. Debt financing is primarily limited to specific project types such as new capital initiatives, land acquisitions, projects tied to third-party matching funds and should be considered only as a last resort for asset replacement as per the city’s debt policy.

As master plans are coming to completion, and the city is working towards updating the Multi-Year Community Investment Plan (MCIP), the city expects to see elevated debt levels to assist in implementation of community needs. Prioritization and sequencing of capital needs will be imperative to use the city’s debt capacity and reserve funds most effectively.

Highlights

• 

  Financial reserves are municipal piggy banks

  The City’s reserves and reserve funds (excluding obligatory reserve funds) have increased by 5.5% since 2018.

• The consolidated 2022 stabilization reserve fund balance as a percentage of own source revenues (excluding the Building Permit reserve fund) is below the targeted range of 10-15%, and currently at 9.3%
• Unfunded liabilities continue to exist in the city’s corporate reserves. Since liabilities do not come due at the same time, it is reasonable to have some unfunded liabilities, yet gradually address the liabilities to ensure it does not continue to grow
• Asset Consumption ratio is higher than the peer average reflective of older assets and the need to increase the city’s capital reserve The consolidated balance in the capital reserve funds has decreased by 31% since 2018.

Strategy/process/risk

Challenges & Risks in the BMA report

In summary, the City in many respects continues to maintain a strong financial position, however, there are key areas identified throughout the report which require close attention. Further challenges lie ahead that will undoubtedly lead to financial risk and requires on-going monitoring. As evidenced in the report, the city relies heavily on property taxes to manage the city’s day to day operations, however, these revenues are being stretched as a result of limited assessment growth and increasing service demands displayed by a changing demographic and intensification. Growth in the city will only continue and moving forward the city’s growth funding tools are being limited by provincial regulations namely impacting development charges, and park dedication revenues. This affects the city’s ability to provide capital infrastructure to support growth in communities in a timely manner and places an increasing reliance on the city’s existing assets to deliver service.

This results in further pressure on the city’s tax revenues firstly, to support increasing debt financing costs for future capital investments and secondly, by way of accelerating the dedicated infrastructure levy to combat cost pressures, manage an increasing infrastructure gap, and to adequately contribute to capital reserves to support the aging infrastructure.

The City recognizes the need to re-evaluate the decisions around municipal finance and where necessary modify the plan to ensure the sustainability of the city’s financial capacity. Prioritization and sequencing of community investments will be of utmost importance to effectively utilize the city’s debt capacity and ensure reserve fund balances over the long-term continue to deliver value-added services to residents. To assist in this regard, preparation of a long-term financial plan should be considered to consolidate the various challenges and opportunities in one platform.

Next Steps

As concluded above, significant financial challenges are ahead for the City of Burlington as objectives of increasing growth, enhancing services and rising inflation collide. It will be important for the city to prioritize and sequence community needs to keep taxes affordable while effectively delivering services to the community. Moving forward, the city is updating its Multi-year Community Investment Plan to provide a thorough view of capital needs that are being brought forward with the completion of major master plans and strategies. Staff anticipate bringing forward a list of needs that are sequenced over a long- term planning horizon with an evaluation of existing funding sources to assist in the implementation of the city’s overall strategic objectives.

Furthermore, staff will be working towards bringing a comprehensive long-term financial planning document forward as per BMA’s recommendation above. Together, the multi- year community investment plan (MCIP), 2025 Asset Management Financial Plan and the multi-year operating budget simulation will provide a holistic view of the multiple financing strategies, the fundamental needs, and overall management of risk considered into one platform; ultimately, aligning with the strategic objectives of the city’s approved long-term financial planning framework. Staff anticipate bringing this forward in Q1 2025, to coincide with the completion of individual financial plans and related strategies.

Financial Matters:

The Financial Health Report prepared by BMA Management Consulting Inc. was completed at a cost of $28,500, which was funded by Financial Management Services’ operating budget.

Engagement Matters:

The results of this study will be shared with the Treasurer/Director of Finance from each of the seven comparator municipalities and the Region of Halton.

No mention of plans to share it with the public.

 

 

 

 

 

By Ray Rivers

June 25th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

There was a federal by-election yesterday. Carolyn Bennet, the Member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of Toronto-St Paul’s, had accepted an appointment as our new ambassador to Denmark and resigned as MP. She had held that riding ably for a quarter of a century. Dr. Bennet once told me, jokingly, that she was always confident of winning her riding because, as a practising physician there, she had delivered half of the babies for the voters.

But no more. Voters in one of the safest Liberal ridings have sent a clear message to the prime minister. They want to change the channel. Enough of actions to fight climate change. Enough of expanding the social safety net for the most needy Canadians. It’s time to turn the clock back as Ontario did when it booted out the Wynne government.

Federal child care, dental care and pharmacare. These programs, forced onto the Liberal agenda by the NDP, are all on the table as we move to an election as early as next year. The exact date will depend on whether the NDP pull the rug out from Trudeau’s minority government, as Jack Layton once did to Paul Martin almost two decades ago.

There is a message to the NDP from this by-election. They have long known that they are unlikely to ever become a governing party in this country. Perhaps it is time they finally make their current co-operative arrangement with the Liberals permanent. The biggest threat to the continuation of progressive government is the splintering and back fighting among the progressive parties, including the Greens and Bloc. Though the separatist Bloc has a bigger agenda in their sights.

The question hanging over this by-election was whether the polls, which show the Liberals about 20 points behind the opposition Conservatives, would materialize into the ballot box. Losing this safe riding should tell Mr. Trudeau that they have. Those polls aren’t lying.

Pundits had called this election a referendum on Mr. Trudeau’s leadership. The question is what comes next. Unless something changes Mr. Trudeau will pay the price for breaking one of his fundamental promises – to make 2015 the last first-past-the-post election.

All of the Liberal initiatives over the last decade, including the huge reduction in child poverty, more progressive taxation and the climate change initiatives are at risk if the Conservatives win. Though a Conservative political platform is yet to appear, Mr. Poilievre has been pretty clear about his disdain for the progressive slate of issues the Liberal have carved out for us over the last decade. Proportional voting would have muted that possibility of loss. But that is a door Mr. Trudeau closed on his own accord.

The ballot in this by-election was the longest in history, with over 80 candidates to choose from. It was a protest fittingly intended to reinforce why so many Canadians would like to see us go to a more representative form of democracy. And ironically it kind-of worked, even though most of those 80 candidates had little to do with the final outcome.

The odds were against the Tories taking this, one of the safest Liberal seats. And progressive Canadians are almost as shocked as the winning Tories who can’t believe their luck. And for the Liberals that’s a twofer.

We lost the battle to win the Stanley Cup as well.

Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.   Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa.  Tweet @rayzrivers

 

Background links

Polls –   Outcome

By Staff

June 24th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Hmph! Customer service is available over the long weekend but Indoor pools are not open for drop-in swimming July 1

Burlington administrative services will be closed for Canada Day on Monday, July 1. For a list of which City services and facilities are available on Canada Day, please see the summary below or visit burlington.ca.

On July 1, the City of Burlington is excited to celebrate Canada Day, sponsored by Bunzl. Activities in Spencer Smith Park (1400 Lakeshore Rd.) begin at 11:30 a.m., with the opening ceremony at 4 p.m. This year features a family area with an inflatables zone sponsored by Harb Plumbing, dog shows, food, refreshment and other vendors, a drone light show and spectacular fireworks display. For the most up-to-date Canada Day information, visit burlington.ca/canadaday.

Fireworks reminder
Fireworks are permitted to be set off on Canada Day only (July 1). Please continue to use our valued outdoor spaces responsibly. The City’s bylaw regulates where and when residents can set off family (low-hazard) fireworks. For more information about who to contact if you have a concern, visit burlington.ca/fireworks.

City Service	Holiday Closure Information
Animal Services	The Animal Shelter at 2424 Industrial St. will be closed to appointments on Monday, July 1. To report an animal control related emergency on a holiday, please call 905-335-7777.
Burlington Transit	Burlington Transit will operate a Sunday schedule on Canada Day, Monday, July 1. Shuttle buses to Canada Day festivities in downtown Burlington will run from 12 to 11:30 p.m. Park at Mainway Arena (4015 Mainway) and take the shuttle to and from the Downtown Terminal (430 John St.). Take the bus downtown, plan your trip on myride.burlingtontransit.ca and leave the driving to us. Tap and ride – children, youth and seniors ride free – visit burlingtontransit.ca for information. The Downtown Transit Terminal and Specialized Dispatch will be closed on Monday, July 1.
City Hall	Service Burlington and the Building, Renovating and Licensing counter on the main floor of City Hall at 426 Brant St., will be closed on Monday, July 1. Many service payments are available online at burlington.ca/onlineservices. For online development services, MyFiles can be used by residents who have applied for Pre-Building Approval. Check the status of Pre Building Approval applications at burlington.ca/MyFiles.
Halton Court Services – Provincial Offences Office	Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way will be closed on Monday, July 1. Except for the Canada Day closure, telephone payments are available at 905-637-1274, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. All in-person services are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Many services are also available by email at burlingtoncourt@burlington.ca or online at Halton Court Services.
Parking	On Sunday, June 30 and Monday, July 1: Free parking is available downtown, on the street, in municipal lots and in the parking garage (414 Locust St.). On Saturday, June 29: Pay parking downtown is required in high-demand parking lots (Lots 1, 4 and 5) and all on-street metered parking spaces. A three-hour maximum is in effect for all on-street spaces. Free parking is available in the remaining municipal lots and the parking garage (414 Locust St.). NOTE: The Waterfront parking lots (east and west) do not provide free parking on holidays. Parking exemptions are required to park overnight on city streets and for longer than five hours. Visit burlington.ca/parkingexemptions. Paid parking, on weekends only (including long weekends), at Beachway Park (1100 Lakeshore Rd) and Beachway overflow lot (Lakeshore Road and Willow Avenue) is required using HONK Mobile. Please make an online reservation using Park Pass to visit Lowville Park on weekends. Reservations are free and available in three-hour time slots throughout the summer.
Recreation Programs and Facilities	Drop-in swimming and other drop-in recreational activities Nelson Pool and Splash Park (4235 New St), Mountainside Pool and Splash Park (2205 Mt. Forest Dr), and LaSalle Wading Pool and Splash Park (50 North Shore Blvd. E) are open for swimming on Canada Day (weather permitting) Outdoor pool lap swims and recreational swims are walk-in only, with no reservations Indoor pools are not open for drop-in swimming July 1 Please visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay for schedules Splash Pads The City’s nine splash pads are located throughout the city and are free to use. To find a splash pad near you, visit burlington.ca/splashpads. Outdoor Activities Burlington has a wide variety of outdoor activities to enjoy with your family during the long weekend including: trails and multi-use paths parks and playgrounds picnic site reservations for La Salle (50 North Shore Blvd E) or Hidden Valley Park (1137 Hidden Valley Rd) Find out more at burlington.ca/outdoorplay.   Golf Tyandaga Golf Course is open for the season. Tee times can be booked online at tyandagagolf.com or by calling 905-336-0005, ext. 2. Play Lending Library Our Lending Library has a variety of outdoor and indoor play equipment available to borrow at no charge. Equipment pickup is on Thursdays, and return drop off is on Tuesdays at Haber Community Centre (3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.). Borrow lifejackets for the family for the long weekend, add some fun outdoor games to your Love My Neighbourhood event, or try out a variety of play equipment that we offer. Learn more at burlington.ca/playlending. Customer Service Recreation, Community and Culture customer service is available to assist you in person at recreation facility counters during program times. Customer service is also available over the long weekend: By email at liveandplay@burlington.ca By phone at 905-335-7738, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. including July 1
Roads, Parks and Forestry	The administrative office will be closed on Monday, July 1. Essential services will be provided as required.

 

 

 

 

By Staff

June 24^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

As Toronto prepares to host one of the world’s largest Pride events on Sunday, June 30^th, Metrolinx wants to remind customers to plan ahead and consider taking transit to this month’s festivities.

Customers can also take advantage of the Metrolinx $10 weekend day online passes that allows you to GO wherever you want. Riders can also transfer for free with One Fare between GO Transit and TTC.

Metrolinx Pride Bus

Since 2014, Metrolinx has introduced a Pride-themed GO Bus design each June to celebrate and commemorate Pride Month.

This month, we unveiled a new look for the 2024 Pride GO Bus. The custom-wrapped, double decker bus has been in service since June 1, and can be spotted on June 30^th alongside our dedicated Metrolinx employees participating in the Toronto Pride Parade, as they did last year. 

 

The designer of this year’s wrap is Tim Singleton, a senior integrated design specialist at Metrolinx’s Marketing division. He explains that the inspiration this year’s design is a testament to the richness and diversity of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, drawing the colour palette from the Pride Progress flag.

 

 By Ray Rivers

June 23rdm 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

“We were worried this stunt would be pulled by Premier Ford and the Ontario government… This is a manufactured crisis and we feel it’s an abuse of power,” (Jason Ash – Save Ontario’s Science Centre)

This Science Center fiasco is clearly weighing on Mr. Ford’s conscience.  And like the bully he is, he has gone to great lengths to try to silence criticism…..

1. 1. 1. At the first sign of resistance to moving the Science Centre some consultants prepared a clearly biased and grossly inaccurate cost benefit study supporting the relocation;
      2. When it was clear that everyone, including the provincial auditor general, could see though that ruse, one of his ministries manufactured another report which suggested replacing a roof tile before a heavy winter snow fall;
      3. Claiming public safety as a pretext, the Science Centre was immediately shuttered, even though that had not been recommended in the report;
      4. Finally, the building is being dismantled to destroy the evidence.

The new science centre is not scheduled to open until at least 2028 so the Province is contemplating offering the science experience somewhere else.   All in all, this is an example of how our government wastes our money just to cater to the whims of a clearly dog-minded premier who has got himself tangled up in something.

The science centre had been an important part of our children’s education and a great attraction for visitors.   It’ll be a different experience when it re-opens in its much more limited capacity at least four years from now.

 “I read the report; it says nothing about closing the Science Centre,” (Elsa Lam, editor of Canadian Architect Magazine).

Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.   Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa.  Tweet @rayzrivers

Background:

Outrage –  

By Pepper Parr

June 22, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Latest from City Hall on the new organization chart.

“As we work through these changes, we’re clarifying some terminology internally. Here’s how we’ll refer to these areas going forward:

“Divisions are external-facing service areas. We have 4 of these, including Public Works, Development and Growth Management, Legal and Legislative Services, and Community Services. Each Division is led by a Commissioner.

“Departments reflect corporate services, including Finance, HR, Digital Services, and Strategy, Performance and Risk. They are led by the CFO, CHRO, CIO, and CTO respectively.

“The Head of Corporate Affairs is an administrative role that oversees a number of departments, roles, and functions within the CAO’s office. These include Communications & Engagement, Government Relations, and Internal Audit.”

Some observations on the clarification.

The CAO, known more colloquially as the City Manger, and the only person City Council gets to hire or fire.  A bit of clarification on that – the Mayor is the only person who can fire the City Manager, because she has Strong Mayor Power.

The critical missing parts – who are the Commissioners?  No names have been released to date, despite several requests.  A concern that many have is the city does not have that many people on staff with the experience and qualifications that would be needed by whoever is going to be serving as a Commissioner.

Poaching these people from some other municipality?  That would raise more than eyebrows.

It appears getting this new org plan in place is  being done on the fly.  We know that it has been in the works for some time – for just how long is not yet clear.

This new organization has yet to be discussed at Council; they would (one hopes) have been advised.

Staff at City Hall have the summer to get used to the structure and figure out who works with who and how do they work when two departments are involved. While the decisions are in the hands of the CAO he does have a Mayor with Strong Mayor Powers to deal with.

The form of engagement that Burlington uses has been more than a concern for Gazette readers.  We note how Hassaan Basit has kept all those “functions within the CAO’s office”.  That could be good if it turns out to mean that he wants to bring about a change in the way City Hall staff engage with the public.

While he was President and CAO at Conservation Halton Basit looked for and found ways to engage the public.  It will take a few months to see if that practice is going to be part of what he brings to City Hall.

Getting information to the public on this new org setup has been wobbly – let’s put that to a part of the learning process for the Communications people.

Learning just who the Commissioners are going to be is the next step.

By Pepper Parr

June 21st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

We learned yesterday that there were significant changes to the way staff are being organized.  The title of Executive Director will no longer be used.  That has been replaced by Commissioners – there are four of them.  We have yet to learn the names of these Commissioners.

We reported earlier that there would be nine Commissioners, that was the information we were given.

When we received the org chart set out below – the number of Commissioners is just four with five other units headed up by a Chief.  We don’t yet know who the person is behind the title.

Related article:

First news from City hall – wasn’t totally correct

By Staff

June 21st, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Starting tonight on June 21, Lakeshore West train service will be temporarily modified until end of service on Sunday, June 23 for critical track work that will bring faster, more frequent service across the network.

During this weekend, Lakeshore West rail service will only run hourly between Union Station and Oakville GO.

There will be no GO Transit services at Appleby and Bronte GO stations. Customers traveling to and from those stations are encouraged to use local transit options.

Service between Oakville GO and West Harbour GO will be replaced by GO buses and the following Niagara Falls GO service adjustment will also occur during this time:

• Trains to and from Niagara Falls GO will only stop at Burlington, Aldershot, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls GO station.

GO Bus connection times will also be adjusted and there may be longer than usual wait times. Customers are encouraged to check schedules before travelling.

For more information about Lakeshore West line service adjustments, click HERE.