 By Karina Rysberg Bay
December 22, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 This is what an online casino gambling bonus looks like The casino bonuses world is, without a doubt, a vast one. You can run into new and lucrative bonuses daily, making the online casino gambling world quite competitive. Online casinos have to constantly come up with new ideas and bonuses to stay in the game.
For example, the casino bonuses in Canada can offer you some great deals that will be pretty compelling and hard to say “no” to. This significant choice of casino bonuses is one of the leading reasons why more and more Canadians are opting for online casinos rather than going to physical ones.
Of course, it’s not all just about the bonuses. Online casino gambling can offer you easy accessibility, excellent comfort as you can play from your couch or on the go, and a chance to play for free. Newbies should always choose free slots at first before they set on to play for real cash.
Now, let’s take a close look at why casino bonuses are so appealing and how to choose the best ones.
How to choose the best casino bonus?
Some casino bonuses are staggering, but experienced players still don’t consider them the best bonuses available. Why is this so? The reason is quite simple; that online casino lacks some other qualities, such as safety measures, SSL protection, or end-to-end encryption for your transactions.
 Determine the reputation of your online casino. There’s another reason for the most lucrative bonuses not being the best ones. Usually, you can take a tremendous welcome bonus but only use it on some games, not your favorite ones. Therefore, some of the best ways to tell good bonuses from bad ones are to determine the reputation of your online casino.
An online casino is reputable if it has an issued license. You can check whether your casino has a license or not on their website. Another way to check whether the casino is reputable is by looking for the safety measures they use.
If there’s ID verification, end-to-end encryption, SSL protection, and two-step verification available, you can rest assured that the online casino is worthy of your time. In line with this, the bonuses will also be trustworthy.
Final thoughts
We hope we have helped you understand why more and more Canadians are opting for online casinos and why casino bonuses are extremely popular among them. Also, we hope that you can now tell a good online casino from a bad one. Have fun in your next gambling experience, and good luck!
December 21, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Kim Arnott who writes for the Oakville News reported that:
In its final budget before next October’s election, town council will limit the residential property tax increase to 1.5 per cent while putting money into initiatives to slow down traffic, fight off gypsy moths and increase loose leaf pick-up service.
Oakville’s 2022 budget got the final nod from town council during its Dec. 20 meeting.
“This budget is about being ready for our future,” said budget committee chair and Ward 6 councillor Tom Adams.
Along with expanding services and investing in community infrastructure, the budget will advance important infrastructure needs for growing areas of Oakville, he said.
 By Staff
December 21st, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Those who are actually working within City Hall will limp out of the building on the 24th and return on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. – hoping that things will be much different and much better.
Given the Covid infection numbers we are seeing (more than 3000 plus on Friday) the year we are going into could turn out to be very hard for a lot of people.
Here is what’s open and closed at the City of Burlington
Over the upcoming holiday season, City of Burlington administrative services will be closed between Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 and Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, re-opening on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
For more information about which City services and facilities are available over the holidays, please see the summary below or visit burlington.ca.
*Important information regarding COVID-19: The information provided below is accurate as of Dec. 15, 2021. In the event of any changes made by the Province of Ontario to current COVID-19 public health measures, please visit burlington.ca/coronavirus for potential impacts to City services and programs.
Residents can stay informed about City news at www.burlington.ca/coronavirus and our social media channels: @cityburlington on Twitter, @cityburlington on Instagram and facebook.com/cityburlington
| City Service |
Holiday Closure Information |
| Animal Services
|
 While the Animal Shelter at 2424 Industrial St. remains closed to the public due to COVID-19, all animal services continue to be offered.
To report an animal control-related emergency, call 905-335-3030 or visit www.burlington.ca/animal. |
| Burlington Transit |
Burlington Transit will have the following schedules:
- Friday, Dec. 24 – weekday schedule until approximately 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 25 – modified holiday schedule
- Sunday, Dec. 26 – holiday (Sunday) schedule
- Monday, Dec. 27 to Friday, Dec. 31 – regular schedules
- Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 – modified holiday schedule.
Visit burlingtontransit.ca for full schedule information.
The Downtown Terminal at 430 John St., and Specialized Dispatch (Handi-Van) will be closed on Dec. 25, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022. The Downtown Terminal will be open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 and Dec. 28.
Schedules and specialized booking are available at burlingtontransit.ca. For real-time schedule information visit Google/Apple Maps or triplinx.ca. |
| City Hall |
The Service Burlington counter at City Hall (426 Brant St.), will close at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, and reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 at 8:30 a.m.
Many service payments are available online at burlington.ca/onlineservices. |
| Halton Court Services – Provincial Offences Office |
Court administration counter services at 4085 Palladium Way will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24, re-opening Wednesday, Dec. 29 and then closed on Monday, Jan. 3, re-opening Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
With the exception of the December holiday closures, 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 |
 Free parking is available downtown, on the street, in municipal lots and in the parking garage on weekends and holidays, including Dec. 25, 26 and Jan. 1, 2022.
NOTE: The Waterfront parking lots (east and west) do not provide free parking on statutory holidays. |
| Recreation Programs and Facilities |
Winter Fest Camp for children aged four to 12 years old will run during the holiday season. This program is open to everyone and includes active time, games and crafts. Learn more and register at burlington.ca/schoolbreaks.
Tim Hortons free winter break swimming and skating – swims start on Dec. 19, and skates start Dec. 20. Pre-registration is required. For more information on dates and times and to register online, visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay.
Drop-in programs – pre-registration is required for drop-in swims, skates and more during the break, visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay.
Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond – open daily, ice conditions permitting, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closing at 5 p.m. on Dec. 24 and closed on Dec. 25). Visit burlington.ca/pond.
Holiday facility rentals are available for play and recreation for gyms, ice rinks and community rooms. Now accepting bookings for 60 or 90-minute rental slots until Jan. 2, 2022. Special holiday rates are in effect. For information and to book online visit burlington.ca/rentals. |
| Roads, Parks and Forestry |
Administrative office closed Friday, Dec. 24 to Monday, Jan. 3, re-opening Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
Essential, winter control and reduced parks maintenance services will be provided. For more information and updates on snow removal, please visit burlington.ca/snow. |
 As we prepare to leave 2021 we look back to see what we lost – what we do now and what will carry us through – each other.
My life-long friend Patti Stren, author of several children’s books, is handing out hugs. Something you might want to consider.
 By Pepper Parr
December 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
How many ways are there to pay for the Rainbow Crosswalks City Council wants to install?
An initiative that was a really good idea; something that was important to do got politicized during the budget exercises which is unfortunate.
The LGBTQ2S+ community is a distinct part of the diverse community that Burlington has become. The recognition those brightly painted crosswalks provide is important. They are statements that needed to be made.
The crosswalks are not cheap – they come in at $10,000 plus each and funds have to be set aside to keep them sharp looking.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has politicized the Rainbow Crosswalk initiative and made it her own. Is it going to backfire on her? A number of Councillors felt that having three in place at this point and making room in future budgets was a fiscally prudent thing to do.
Mayor Meed Ward felt that all six were needed now and she wondered aloud if some of the public art money could be made available to pay for the final three.
And so the squabbling began with the City Manager dragged into the issue.
When three Council members disagreed with the Mayor on the timing of the installation she took it upon herself to make a public statement that made it sound as if the three, Councillors Sharman, Stolte and Kearns, were somehow anti LGBTQ2S+; nothing could be further than the truth.
 Did Public Art funds pay for the Black Lives Matter art work done on the sidewalk outside City Hall ? Has the fund become the Mayor’s piggy bank? During the summer when people were outdoors a large graphic was painted on the sidewalk outside city hall. Public Art funds were found to pay for what was a strong Black Lives Matter statement.
Politicians have their favourite projects; they currently have a budget to pay for projects within their wards. The Mayor has a very healthy budget that she reports on publicly.
In the ten years the Gazette has been covering city Council we have never before seen so much nasty squabbling. There are numerous examples of this poor behaviour – what is most disturbing is that this situation impacts on a community that has had attention it did not need. Real people with real issues are being hurt – all the satisfy a small political objective.
The Mayor was very much a part of that initiative.
The LGBTQ2S+ acronym stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Two-Spirit.
By Pepper Parr
December 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The rate at which the Omnicron variant of the Covid19 virus is tearing through the province (3784 new infections yesterday) has put pressure on everything and everyone.
 Food donations arrive daily but the demand is bigger than the supply. Cash on hand makes it possible to purchase needed food items. The Burlington Food Bank soldiers on with their service that provides fresh food to families that need help on the three week rotation they use.
With the holidays upon us the Food Bank has had to do what can only be called an extreme pivot.
Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Food Bank said earlier today that they are able to meet the growing demand with enough in the way of food donations coming in and enough money in the bank to be able to purchase what isn’t donated.
“We have found that we need to purchase more these days and inflated prices aren’t helping. We are fortunate in that we have a number of corporate supporters that work with us on an almost daily basis.”
 Robin Bailey, Executive Director of the Burlington Food Bank is before the cameras almost daily – thanking people for the food and cash donations Longer term, adds Bailey “it is difficult to project where we will be this time next year. We thought we were on our way out of the pandemic and edging towards a more normal environment.
The numbers on the need side are getting a little worse but the support from the community is holding up and the really wonderful part of all this is that the volunteer staff are continuing to show up every day.
“We are going to be closed for the week between the holidays (December 27th to December 31st) but we will be open the afternoon of Christmas Eve to ensure that everyone who needs food is taken care of.
When we decided that we had to be open I hoped that some of the staff would be able to stay the extra few hours” said Bailey who added that the “volunteers were asking me this morning if the Christmas Eve hours were still on.”
Indeed it is still on. The Burlington Food Bank will be open until 2:00 pm the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
 By Ray Rivers
December 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
COVID and climate change, not the federal deficit, is driving up prices in this country. Public health measures have led to global supply chain blockages and workplace interruptions. And 2021 has been the absolutely worst year for disastrous climate events, including forest fires, flooding and drought. Prairie grain harvests, for example, are reported to be 30-50% lower this year, which also impacts meat prices.
 Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons So it’s unfortunate that Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre is peddling misinformation. He blames the high deficit and debt levels for the country’s current 4.7% increase in the price of an average basket of goods. He argues that it is because government debt has resulted in too much money being printed and circulated in the economy. But that is not what is happening.
To complicate his argument, Poilievre is demanding federal tax cuts, including the revenue neutral carbon tax, which will….put more money in people’s hands and further increase the deficit.
Poilievre is entitled to his opinion but no reputable economists support his thesis. Canada is actually doing better than most OECD nations when it comes to inflation and with an inflation rate a whole third lower than we’re seeing south of the border. Canada’s inflation has been hovering around 4.7% for the last couple of months, though nobody is discounting that it might climb a little higher before it declines again.
In any case,Ha good chunk of Canada’s economy is inflation proofed – our pensions, income tax deductions, etc. which have been indexed to the consumer price index (CPI). And our health and education programs are all publicly funded. So it’s mostly food and other consumables, some of which are waiting to unload at the ports or sitting in a barge adrift in Vancouver Harbour.
 The Covid19 virus and the variant Omicron along with Climate Change are the structural changes we are going through right now.  And then there is housing. Housing prices have been rising for a while now. And while low interest rates, allowing more people to qualify for mortgages, are partly responsible, the real culprit is the extremely high rate of immigration. Canada’s immigration target is 400,000 new entrants a year, over 100,000 of those looking for housing in the GTA.
Some level of inflation is not unhealthy in a growing economy and/or one experiencing some measure of structural change. And structural changes is what we are going through right now, thanks to COVID and climate change. The federal government has a number of tools to slow down inflation should it get out of hand. These include tax increases, reducing government spending and transfers, import and export restrictions and controlling the interest rate.
The Finance Minister just renewed the Bank of Canada’s mandate, which includes exercising monetary policy to raise interest rates and attempt to bring inflation down to 2% or less. However, given the still shaky economic situation with an ongoing pandemic, nobody should expect the Bank to jack up rates, particularly for the current bout of price increases which reflect an economy very much in transition.
 Higher interest rates will also raise the cost of the government borrowing to finance our debt and deficit. That will lead to increased deficits and possibly eliminate funding for other government programs. In the end higher rates suppress economy activity by reducing consumer demand. That will lead to higher unemployment which no government ever wants. Raising interest rates would push Canada’s international exchange rate up as foreign investors up their Canadian investments to get the higher rates here. That would prompt exchange rate increases and impact Canada’s international competitiveness as our exports become relatively more expensive and imports relatively cheaper.
This is the situation Brian Mulroney found himself in the late 80’s as he attempted to quell inflation with monetary policy. We ended up with higher unemployment, deterioration in our terms of trade and creating the greatest accumulation of federal debt in Canada’s history – that is until the pandemic hit us.
Over-reacting to Canada’s modest inflation rate can be fraught with these potential complications. The Minister of Finance and Bank of Canada are betting that the supply chain blockages will be resolved and the price pressure will lessen. But given where we are with the pandemic rebounding energetically, and climate change throwing curve balls around every corner, nobody is in a hurry to raise interest rates or cut taxes. That is possibly except for Pierrre Poilievre who has no idea what he’s talking about.
 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:
Pierre Poilievre – National Debt – Crop Failures –
Food Prices – Inflation – Fiscal Update –
Actual Fiscal Update – Home Prices –
 By Staff
December 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Snow on the ground – get ready for winter fun.
And watch the people at Parks, Recreation and Culture pivot once again to keep people active and staying healthy at the same time.
There are many opportunities for everyone to be active outside.
The information provided below is accurate as of Dec. 20, 2021. In the event of any changes made by the Province of Ontario to current COVID-19 public health measures, please visit burlington.ca/coronavirus for potential impacts to City services and programs.
Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond
 Scheduled to open on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond at the waterfront in downtown Burlington is scheduled to open Tuesday, Dec. 21. The rink will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day. Registration is not required.
Residents are encouraged to call the ice conditions hotline, 905-335-7738, ext. 8587 before leaving their house, to make sure the Pond is open.
The skate lending program is back this season at the Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond and is available Friday, 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and during the school breaks, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more about the Pond’s features and rules, visit burlington.ca/pond.
Outdoor artificial rink
The artificial skating rink is open at the old tennis courts in Sherwood Forest Park, 5270 Fairview St. This rink is best suited for parents with young children and anyone learning to skate.
Neighbourhood Rinks
There are 15 Neighbourhood Rink locations available in City parks this year. The rinks will be open to the public and free to use once the weather is cold enough for the ice. City staff will install boards for the natural ice rinks that will be maintained by neighbourhood volunteer groups. Everyone is asked to respect the open/closed signs and stay off the ice when the rink is closed.
For more information on the Neighbourhood Rink program and locations, visit burlington.ca/neighbourhoodrink.
 That was fun! Tobogganing
The city has designated six areas in the city that are safe for tobogganing. They include:
• Brant Hills Park, southwest of the tennis courts, 2300 Duncaster Dr.
• Central Park on the hill northwest of the community garden, 2299 New St.
• LaSalle Park, east of the parking lot, 50 North Shore Blvd.
• Lowville Park on the hill at the southwest end of park, 6207 Lowville Park Rd.
• Nelson Park on the east side of park, north of the Centennial bike path, 4183 New St.
• Tyandaga Park at hole number four on the west slope, 1265 Tyandaga Park Dr.
To view designated tobogganing sites and tips for safe tobogganing, please visit burlington.ca/tobogganing.
Tim Hortons Free Swimming and Skating
Thanks to Tim Hortons, Burlington residents can enjoy another year of free swimming and skating this holiday season. View schedule and sign up, visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay.
Play Equipment Lending Library
If you need some play equipment or want to try something new without having to buy it, try the City’s Play Equipment Lending Library, including new glow-in-the-dark equipment which can be useful as the days get shorter. Pickup at Central Arena, 512 Drury Lane. To borrow, visit burlington.ca/playlending.
 Imagine the golf course covered in snow – what a great place to hike. Disc Golf and Hiking at Tyandaga Golf Course
Tyandaga Golf Course (1265 Tyandaga Park Dr.) is open for disc golf and hiking during the winter season and open from dawn until dusk.
Players need to bring their own discs.
Discs can also be borrowed through the Play Equipment Lending Library.
By Pepper Parr
December 20th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 A very modern look for a fine piece of leather-craft. Available only at the art gallery in Burlington. You are at the point where the bulk of your Seasonal shopping is done.
But – there is one person you don’t think you have just the right gift for.
And – you’ve never been to the AGB Shop.
The arts may not be quite your thing but they offer numerous choices that are unique and tend to delight the person getting the gift.
There is a purse that caught our eye when we were taking the pictures a month or so ago.
Hours for the Art Shop are:
Tuesday to Friday: Noon to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Masks are required. While the Art Shop has quite a bit of room should there be too many people and social distancing is not possible, management will look for ways to schedule people.
 Wine poured from a glass slipper into beautifully decorated wine glasses. You won’t find this kind of stem ware anywhere else in the city.  Skilfully crafted, one of a kind – at the Art Gallery Shop  See anything you like? Art Gallery members can rent pieces they like and if they really like what has been hanging on their walls they can buy the piece. A number of Burlington corporations rent art work for their offices. You might want to think about buying a membership for someone and then introducing then to the rentals. Theo Roma is the person to talk to at the Gallery about this idea
 By Staff
December 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Giving Tuesday for 2021 went well – better than the year before.
The idea of creating a day in the year when the focus was on giving came out of the 42nd Street YMCA in New York City in 2012 and just grew.
Kristen Curry, Chair, Halton Gives explains how the idea works in Canada, in each of the provinces and then how in Ontario, where there are 42 local groups, work with not for profit organizations, to help them reach out to local groups and guide them as they do their own very local fund raising
This year Halton residents, businesses, community groups, charities and non-profit organizations came together to celebrate GivingTuesday on November 30th, and demonstrate their generosity on this global day of giving!
Over 70 Halton organizations partnered with Halton Gives and took part in GivingTuesday this year.
Here are some of the local highlights:
200 families from Immigrant Services and Childcare Programs will receive $100 gift cards to use for a holiday meal and/or warm clothing for winter
7 cribs were filled with items for families in need (diapers, formula, cereal, etc.)
Funds were raised for Child and Family Services to alleviate the cost of programming for families of children with developmental disabilities
 The Oakville Rangers – took some time off the ice to raise funds to purchase gift cards for people in need. $1,500 was raised in grocery gift cards plus 2 boxes full of food items, with the help of a local youth hockey team Oakville Rangers
Donors were thanked on social media with a reach of 1,000
Funds were raised to purchase 100 Reindeer Chocolate Packages to be delivered to clients
$4,700 was raised to support students experiencing food insecurity
4 guide dogs were fully funded and named through a contest (Alfonso, Jaz, Magic and Neka)
Over $7,500 was raised to provide in-need clients and families with a hand up over the holiday season
 Food4Kids volunteer Gayle Cruikshank with Linsday Batstone from Two Sevens Capital. Curry explained the impact the pandemic has increased the need for human connections, acts of kindness and positivism. The demand for support programs and services across in Halton
. It also has Thank you to everyone who participated in GivingTuesday this year. Whether you donated your time, money, talent, or voice for a cause – your actions made a difference!” said Kristen Curry, Chair of Halton Gives.
Halton Gives is a civic movement participating in the global GivingTuesday initiative. Our goal is to engage the Halton community in supporting (and celebrating!) the work of the amazing charities and non-profits that support the Halton region.
GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate giving of all kinds, celebrated on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday; in 2021 the date was November 30th.
The movement was launched in Canada in 2013 by GIV3 and CanadaHelps.org The idea was originally founded in the US in 2012 by 92nd Street Y in partnership with the UN Foundation.
Giving Tuesday will be on November 29th in 2022
By Staff
December 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Responding to the rising number of Covid19 infections and the rate at which the Omicron variant is replicating the province of Ontario released the following statement:
To further strengthen its response to Omicron and reduce opportunities for close contact as the province gets as many vaccines into arms as possible, Ontario is introducing a 50 per cent capacity limit in the following indoor public settings:
Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments and strip clubs;
Personal care services;
Personal physical fitness trainers;
Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies);
Shopping malls;
Non-spectator areas of facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities (e.g. gyms);
Indoor recreational amenities;
Indoor clubhouses at outdoor recreational amenities;
Tour and guide services; and
Photography studios and services; and
Marinas and boating clubs.
These limits do not apply to any portion of a business or place that is being used for a wedding, a funeral or a religious service, rite, or ceremony. Businesses or facilities will also need to post a sign stating the capacity limits that are permitted in the establishment.
To further reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, additional protective measures are also being applied:
The number of patrons permitted to sit at a table will be limited to 10 people and patrons will be required to remain seated in restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments, meeting and event spaces and strip clubs.
Bars and restaurants, meeting and event spaces and strip clubs will be required to close by 11 p.m. Take out and delivery will be permitted beyond 11 p.m.
Dancing will not be allowed except for workers or performers.
Food and/or drink services will be prohibited at sporting events; concert venues, theatres and cinemas; casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments; and horse racing tracks, car racing tracks and other similar venues.
The sale of alcohol will be restricted after 10 p.m. and consumption of alcohol in businesses or settings after 11 p.m.
In addition, to mitigate COVID-19 transmission that can occur at informal social gatherings, the province is also reducing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
These restrictions will come into effect on 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, December 19, 2021.
By Staff
December 17th, 2021
BURLINGTON, O N
Students at Burlington’s Clarksdale Public School wrote and decorated Christmas cards that are currently on display in the lobby of Joseph Brant Hospital as a way to brighten the days of patients, staff and visitors.
 The walls of the hospital lobby are a lot brighter looking these days. Teacher Kelly Kozsurek says she learned of this activity from a former HDSB teacher and thought it would be a great way for students to provide patients, staff and visitors with colourful holiday cheer. The school was provided with cards by Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation’s ‘Join the Joy’ committee and students decorated one side of the card and wrote a kind message on the other side.
“We chose to do this activity to provide students with the opportunity to do something for others,” Kozsurek says. “Not only will they brighten someone’s day, but they will feel empathy for others and pride in themselves for making a positive impact.”
Principal Shelly Andrews says this activity has taught students a wonderful holiday message that there are many ways they can help make the world a better place.
“I’m so proud of the contributions they have made to help give back and in their efforts to let people know they are cared for. Students of all ages were so excited to participate in this tradition. I love that they have learned we can change the world one smile at a time.”
 Anissa Hilborn, President of the JBH Foundation. “One of the objectives of the Foundation is to connect the community with the hospital, and our Join the Joy campaign and the holiday greetings are a great way for our staff, physicians, patients and their families to feel the support of the community at the holidays,” said Anissa Hilborn, President of the JBH Foundation. “It truly brightens the hospital at this time of year and we’re so grateful to Clarksdale Public School and all the schools across Burlington who sent in messages of joy this time of year.”
 By Pepper Parr
December 16th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 Delivered to citizens on the 14th with budget decisions that had not yet been made. It was less than a fulsome apology and it does beg a number of questions:
Who wrote the article that appeared in City Talk?
Who signed off on the content ?
When did the material go to the printer and when did it get sent to the delivery people ?
All the possible answers suggest City Talk was in one level of production at least four days before it was delivered on the 14th – which suggest that the material was written on the 9th – the day the Budget Standing Committee passed a recommendation that went to Council.
 Did the Mayor get her way again – at the expense of the City Manager ? It also suggest that the Mayor was involved. There is precious little information coming out of the mouths of the other members of Council but it appears that they did not see what was being sent out.
The information sent to citizens was purely political – Staff have no business getting involved in the political drama that pervades the Council Chamber even though as a Council they don’t meet there anymore.
 City Manager Tim Commisso This is no small matter. Anne and Dave Marsden made the point when they wrote us to say: “We find it very difficult to understand why Burlington taxpayers seem to have no understanding of how serious an issue the City Talk issue is. “Correct Anticipation” and “Mountains out of Molehills” leaves one wondering what the Gazette has to do to expose things like this which should have the City up in arms!
How the City Manager let this one take place defies rational explanation. He knows better.
Related news stories:
The City Talk Newsletter
The City Apology:
The recently issued copy of City Talk, which is managed by City staff, was inadvertently sent out and delivered earlier than anticipated. City communications to residents about Council services and initiatives, like the City budget are never sent out prior to formal City Council approval. As much as possible, City staff work on communication materials like City Talk in advance, however, information isn’t shared till approvals. We apologize for the error.
 By Staff
December 16th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
It is one of the harder jobs a Chief of Police has to do – suspend one of his officers and ask the provincial Special Investigations Unit to investigate a a complaint.
 Chief of Police Steve Tanner In this case a Halton Regional Police Service Officer Charged by SIU with one count of Sexual Assault and one count of Breach of Trust.
Constable David Ardrey, a 14-year member of the Halton Regional Police Service has been charged in relation to an incident that occurred in September 2021.
At the time the Service became aware of the incident, Chief Tanner suspended the officer from active duty, and the SIU was notified and invoked their mandate.
As the matter is now before the courts, and as required by law, no further information can be provided by the Halton Regional Police Service at this time.
 By Staff
December 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Community Lens is prepared by Community Development Halton to disseminate and interpret important community data as it becomes available.
Traditionally, across Canada, the month of December is the busiest fundraising period for nonprofits and charities, kicking off with the post-Thanksgiving fundraising drive on Giving Tuesday (the first Tuesday after American Thanksgiving, which was the 30th of November this year). A study by Imagine Canada, for example, found that “[m]any charities typically receive about 40 per cent of their donations in the last six-to-eight weeks of the year.”
In 2017, the nonprofit and charity sector contributed 8.5% to Canada’s GDP, if we were to include “volunteer activities – which are important for the non-profit sector but not included in standard macroeconomic measures – [they] would have added a further $41.8 billion to the economy in 2013… representing 22.3% of non-profit GDP that year.” 2 (These data may be underestimates of the real scale of the nonprofit sector in Canada, for a useful brief overview of this argument, one should read ‘The non-profit sector’s ongoing data deficit’ in The Philanthropist Journal. ) It is fair to say that the month of December not only has a significant impact on the nonprofit and charity sector planning activities for the year ahead, but a wider impact on the health of Canada’s economy.
To mark Giving Tuesday and the month of fundraising that follows, this Community Lens will analyze Halton residents’ behaviour around charitable donations and compare it with wider Ontario and Canadian trends.
 A 2018 Community Lens issue observed that “the amount of charitable donations and the number of donors” were falling across the country.
Looking at the latest available data for 2019, and comparing it with the years between 2015, this downward trend continued. In Ontario in 2015, according to tax filer data, there were 2,171,620 charitable donors and 9,859,860 tax filers in the province. As the data in this graph demonstrates, the number of charitable donors continued to fall in Ontario, except for one year during this period in which the number of charitable donors slightly increased from 2,122,600 in 2017 to 2,125,020 in 2018.
The total number of charitable donors fell from 2,171,620 donors in 2015 to 2,048,780 in 2019, which is a decrease of 122,840 individuals. What is more concerning is that the number of individual donors fell during a time when there were increases in the number of tax filers: there were 476,800 more tax filers in 2019 (10,336,660) compared to 2015 (9,859,860). These trends that we are seeing in Ontario are being replicated at a national level.
 Presenting these data in another way, this next graph shows that, from 2015 until 2018, Halton was outperforming the province for the percentage of tax filers who are charitable donors. In 2019, there was a fall of 4% in Halton to leave the Region and province on the same proportion of charitable donors to tax filers – at 20%. (For the purposes of clarity and readability the Canadian trendline for this period has been omitted from this graph; for interested readers, its behaviour is closer to Ontario rather than Halton trends: 2015: 21%; 2016:20%; 2017: 20%; 2018: 19%; 2019: 19%.)
Although the percentage of charitable donors in Halton fell by 4% from 2018 to 2019, the average charitable donation in the Region rose from 2015 – 2019. In 2015, the average charitable donation was $1,466 and in 2019 it was $1,822 – an increase of $355, or 24%.  Despite the other worrying trends that are being witnessed elsewhere in the data, such as average age increasing and the percentage of charitable donors to tax filers falling, the average Halton charitable donation for this period is beating the rate of inflation by a significant amount: from 2015 to 2019 the average annual inflation rate was 1.80%.
Looking at the 2019 data, the average Halton tax filer gives more in donations than the national average across all age categories, except in the 65+ cohort. In the 0-24 years category,
Halton individuals in 2019 gave an average of $545, compared to a national figure of $390. In the 35-44 years age category, residents in Halton gave $1,404 in 2019, just over the comparative national figure of $1,390.00. In 2019, the only age cohort where Halton residents gave below the national average was in the 65+ years: the national average for this age category was $2,840, while Halton residents gave on average just under this, at $2,785, in 2019.
 The average age of charitable donors continues to rise in Ontario and Halton. However, the average age of charitable donors’ increase is more acute in Ontario. In 2015 the average age was 55, while four years later, in 2019, the average age increased by 4 years, to 59, for the province. In the same period in Halton, the average age only increased by 1 year, from 55.5 to 56.5. The national average age of a
charitable donor was 54 in 2015 and remained consistently at 55 from 2016-2019.
This Community Lens revealed informative findings about charitable donation trends in Halton, Ontario, and Canada.
Overall, Halton continues to perform better than provincial and national trends in several areas. In 2019, for example, Halton, across all age groups apart from the 65+ age cohort, gave more in charitable donations than the national average. This Lens also showed that the average charitable donation increased by 24% in Halton between 2015-2019, far outstripping the compounded inflation of 7.2% for that period.
However, across the same period, the percentage of charitable donors to tax filers in Halton fell from 26% in 2015 to 20% in 2019. In other words, as charitable donations increased in Halton, they were coming from a shrinking pool of individuals.
Furthermore, this Lens showed there is an upward trend in the average age of charitable donors, with Ontario’s 4-year average age increase the most acute. A lower average charitable donor age, made up of cohorts with higher earning capacity and purchasing power, should contribute to a better funded and more sustainable nonprofit and charitable sector in the long run.
The nonprofit sector has, for some time, been aware of these concerning national and provincial trends analyzed in this piece, but there are grounds for optimism. In a 2018 report, the increase in online donations among the young and “more educated Canadians and those with higher incomes” over the last 15 years has been a boon for the sector.
 Over the coming years, the nonprofit and charity sector will have to rely more heavily on leveraging new technologies for fundraising and finding other creative solutions to address some of the worrying trends cited in this report. Sector-led responses alone may not be enough. A public policy intervention may be necessary, such as: developing more creative and generous tax breaks for donors, alongside a public awareness campaign to promote it.
For the academically minded a version of this report with all the source notes in place is available on the CDH web site. www.cdhalton.ca
Community Lens is prepared by Community Development Halton to disseminate and interpret important community data as it becomes available. For more information please contact us at data@cdhalton.ca or 905-632-1975
Community Development Halton would like to acknowledge the ongoing financial support of the Regional Municipality of Halton.
By Pepper Parr
December 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
To get a true sense as to how your City Council got to the point where they could approve the Operations budget for 2021 it helps if you can listen in.
We don’t have audio to pass along but our software does capture what is said (not all that well unfortunately, but it does give you a sense as to how things were going.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward The Mayor is in the Chair – the information in brackets is the time.
(38:23) Alrighty we are at the end of all of the individual items. So we are now back up to the budget as a whole. So we are at Item D having dealt with all of the amendments that were pulled. Perhaps we can get the revised amount it did change with that last vote. So we will need to if we need a recess. Let me know. Laurie, if or if you’ve got that number that we can insert into the revised recommendation on the board. As far as I know. Didn’t change.
The capital numbers did not change the operating main motion. The tax levy amount needs to be revised to 191, 550, 509. This brings the city’s portion of the tax impact of 4.62% and an overall impact of 2.87.
All right, so let’s get that up on the board. You know the number of clauses to vote on and we’ll take those individually.
Mayor: All right. I will read it into the record.
We have approved the 2022 operating budget including any budget amendments approved by the Corporate Services strategy, Risk and Accountability Budget Committee to be applied against the proposed net tax levy of $191,552,509, which as we heard delivers a tax impact city portion only a 4.62 and a region portion of 2.87
Overall, once you blend it with region and education, second approve the 2022 capital budget with a gross amount of 77,384,020 with a debenture requirement of $8,600,000 and the 2023 to 2031 Capital forecast with a gross amount of $752,172,369 with a debenture requirement of $38,975,000 as outlined in finance department. As amended by the Corporate Services strategy, risk and accountability Budget Committee and approve that if the actual net assessment growth is different than the estimated 2.45% any increase in tax dollars generated from the city portion of assessment growth from the previous year be transferred to these tax rate stabilization reserve fund or any decrease in tax dollars generated from the city portion of assessment growth from the previous year. Is act 1997 and section five of the Ontario regulation 80 to 98. It is Council’s clear intention that the excess capacity provided by the above referenced works will be paid for by future development charges.
So I will pause for a moment I see our clerks hand in the air. Go ahead, Kevin.
Thank you, Mayor. We’re just wanting to confirm with council if they want to vote on everything clause by clause. So there are five clauses to this. This motion would you like to have it separated clause by clause or I understand that counsellor Bentivegna wanted capital that would be close to separated. We’re here to fulfill your needs. So just let us know.
Mayor: All right. Well, certainly the first two have to be separated once we get to the second one. I will ask if there’s anything further to be separated out. Maybe we’ll handle that way. And then we’ll proceed sort of on the fly here. So we have oh, I just we just lost the screen. Are we going to get those motions back up, Kevin?
Clerk: Yeah, I think that we’re just separating them out for the vote. The screen that you see is what you’re voting on in the system. So if we have to separate things out, we have to redact them from the screen.
Mayor: So the first one up is the operating budget. Okay, so as amended and I will look to the board for questions and we will have to just pause momentarily to make sure that we tee up everyone’s time that they have left. And I I’ve been keeping some notes I hope our clerks have as well and the first person I have on the board is counsellor Stolte. Apparently you have four minutes left. Go ahead.
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte. Stolte: Thank you, Mayor. I’m actually not going to comment. What I’m going to ask for is whether or not we could please take a recess. The last round of voting on those amendments that were pulled has dramatically changed the work that we did where we last ended up last week. And I personally need a few minutes to decide to figure out where I stand on support or not support the budget at this point. So not being put in a position of having to do that thinking on the fly. I would appreciate if we could recess for a few minutes.
Mayor: Absolutely. I’m prepared to recess so I do see some hands on the board. If you are speaking to the budget, let’s hold that if you are speaking to the recess counsellor Bentivegna – did you want to speak to the request for a recess?
Bentivegna: I don’t have problem I will go. recess. I would like to see the the numbers on up so that not only we could see him that the residents can see what the new numbers are.
Mayor: You’re talking about the tax rate numbers. Okay, we will we will endeavour during the recess to get that included in what you have here. Counselor current speaking to the recess.
 Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna : “Thank you very much. I am speaking to the recess in regards to inviting the clerk with an opportunity to speak around procedural options should the budget not pass we received some commentary and committee commentary carries through to council.
Mayor: Certainly and as chair, I will direct all questions to the appropriate Staff. And Kevin I assume that would be you go ahead.
Clerk:
Oh, yes, council. So Through you, Mayor to the council. There are options. If the budget fails, then Council can then direct staff with with some direction and then we’d have to come back with a new budget. Or there can be an alternative moved at the same time. So there’s those are two options if the budget fails. At any point in this conversation if Council wishes to they could refer this back to staff with direction as well. So those are some of your options for today.
Mayor: Already, everyone clear on the options so we don’t have the four votes today we’re talking budget for a little longer. So I’m going to suggest given the significance of this vote and the the need for folks to have I think that we take a half hour break and come back at quarter to two so we will recess until 1:45 and come back and see where we’re at till three o’clock. Sorry. You want to go till three o’clock. Okay. Cancer. Galbraith has requested a recess until three I’m happy to. (41:57)
And at that point Council took a half hour break.
 By Pepper Parr
December 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
The spin masters at city hall are doing everything they can to put the best possible spin on the budget decisions that were made yesterday afternoon.
A media announcement declared: “ City Council approves 2022 budget: 2.87 per cent overall tax increase to maintain City services and infrastructure, and address continued impacts of the pandemic.”
The statement is true – it is a fact – however it isn’t the fact that matters most to you.
You want to know how much the city increased your taxes: THAT number is 4.62% over what the taxes were last year.
That 2.87% number is the result of combining the taxes you will pay to the Boards of Education and the taxes you pay to the Region. The city collects all those taxes from you.
This is not a good budget – not just because of the size of the increase. The Mayor said it was less than the current rate of inflation – which is also true.
The media release also said: “For example, homeowners with a home assessed at $500,000 would pay an additional $111.80 per year or $2.15 per week.
When was the last time you saw a house in Burlington assessed at $500,000? Houses are now in the $850,000 range with $1 million prices showing up regularly.
The spending that the city does is the number that matters to you. And that spending increased by 4.62% over last year.
 Council did manage to reduce the size of the budget Staff had presented – but by less than 1% The five year simulation suggests that we are looking at higher tax increases for a number of years. The best Council could do was shave off less than 1% from the budget Staff gave them.
These are very tough times; everyone knows that. What we have a right to expect is straight up honest answers and information from the people we elect. That seems to be in short supply these days.
It is unusual for municipal counsellors to increase taxes in an election year.
There were a number of way this Council could have gotten the increase into the 3.5% range.
 Getting what she wanted proved to be out of the Mayor’s reach. The problem was Mayor Meed Ward could not convince her council colleagues to see things her way – All, except for ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, voted against this budget
Mayor Meed Ward called this “… a true collective effort of Council and staff in service of our community to deal with now needs and plan for our future.”
In truth it is the best this council could do given the level of acrimony between a majority of the council members and the Mayor.
Few are prepared to stand up to the Mayor and wrest the control she now has and ensure that the voices of the others are fairly heard. Councillors Stolte and Kearns need to stand up to the Mayor.
 Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan chaired the Budget Committee: prevented Council members from moving motions on more than one occasion. On just about every issue the Mayor has the full support of ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith and ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan.
The balance of the other four tend to side with Councillor Sharman who was certainly doesn’t get credit for making sure this budget fully served the people of Burlington.
Galbraith is perhaps not aware of the election race he is going to face next October. There are people in ward 3 considering giving Nisan a run for that council seat.
 Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman with his eye on the prize As for the Mayor – you heard it here first – Former Mayor Rick Goldring will run for Mayor in 2022. There is a substantial group that are urging him to run again. He is positioning himself for a run – whether he throws his hat in the ring – only time will tell.
Councillor Sharman will also run for Mayor and because Goldring will take votes away from Meed Ward – Paul Sharman could well be the Mayor of the city for the 2022 – 2025 term.
This terrible budget exercise can and should be seen as the beginning of the 2022 municipal election.
Before then however, there is a provincial election that will take place. There are some changes needed at that level as well.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
December 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Communications department sent us the following:
The recently issued copy of City Talk, which is managed by City staff, was inadvertently sent out and delivered earlier than anticipated. City communications to residents about Council services and initiatives, like the City budget are never sent out prior to formal City Council approval. As much as possible, City staff work on communication materials like City Talk in advance, however, information isn’t shared till approvals. We apologize for the error.
The 2022 election is a good time to re-think a council that approves news in a city publication. This is pure news spin. Burlington has a communications group that puts together the vast majority of the material that is posted on the various social media accounts the city has along with City Talk, a print piece that is delivered to the homes in the city.
A Gazette reader, who keeps an eye on things at city hall reports that her copy of City Talk was delivered on Tuesday, the 14th at around 1 pm.
“I watched the council meeting this afternoon and if I am not mistaken it was close to or after 4PM when council voted on and passed the 2022 City Budget.
 Reporting news before it happens: is this a new city communications department policy. The first article in the current edition of City Talk was ” CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 2022 CITY BUDGET: BURLINGTON TAXES REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE IN COMPARISON OF LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES”
Our reader added that the story in City Talk makes one question if Council Meetings are simply for the public when decisions are made and published before the formal vote.
Good question, especially given that it takes several days to put together an edition if City Talk, then it has to be printed and then delivered.
By Pepper Parr
December 14th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
They got to the edge, looked over and backed away. The budget will pass – 4.62% increase over last year.
Council has taken a half hour recess while some members re-think their original positions on whether or not the budget before them is a good enough budget.
Councillor Sharman has said he will not support it.
There were votes on earlier in the day on 16 different budget items – the Mayor and her supporters won most of those votes – but on a critical one she lost.
With Council now ready to vote on the amended Operating budget – which was at 5.47% increase over last year when Staff presented it to Council.
Meetings on November 30, December 2 and December 9th and today as well got that percentage down to 4.62%
 Councillor Bentivegna, on the right, has depended on Councillor to explain the proceedings. Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna has been the swing vote surprisingly often. Prior to today he usually sided with Councillor Sharman.
This Council has two people who stick with the Mayor on basically everything: Councillors Nisan and Galbraith. They have to entice Bentivegna to join them
 Councillor Paul Sharman: His background and years of experience work to help him explain complex financial matters – especially at the policy level. Councillors Sharman, Stolte and Kearns hang together – doing what they can to entice Bentivegna. This is not what Angelo Bentivegna expected when he finally won a council seat.
To the surprise of this reporter Bentivegna said he was not going to vote for the budget as it stood.
We will know by about 3:25 today if this Council can pass a budget.
 City Manager does not see a pretty picture if the budget does not pass. Last week City Manager Tim Commisso explained to Council that if they could not pass a budget they would have to return the document they were working with back to Staff with clear instructions to return with a budget that meet specific objectives.
City Manager Tim Commisso explained to Council that what Staff comes back with, if it should come to that, would not be pretty.
On balance this Council has not been very pretty for the past year. It isn’t what people thought they were getting when they replaced Rick Goldring with Marianne Meed Ward.
 By Staff
December 13th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario government is helping seniors stay in their homes longer by extending the Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit by one year, to 2022.
The Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit is a refundable credit worth 25 per cent of up to $10,000 per household in eligible expenses, to a maximum credit of $2,500.
It can be shared by people who live together, including spouses and common law partners.
The extension will assist seniors, or those living with senior relatives, to renovate their homes to make them safer and more accessible.
 Small upgrades make life a lot safer “We are empowering Ontario’s seniors with the choice to live in their homes and remain in their community as long as they choose,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “Providing a tax credit for renovations will give seniors and their families real help to stay in their homes longer.”
Examples of eligible renovations include:
• Installing grab bars and related reinforcements in bathrooms
• Wheelchair ramps, stair lifts and elevators
• Light fixtures in the home and exterior entrances
• Non-slip flooring
• Automatic garage door openers
• Certain renovations to allow first-floor occupancy or a secondary suite for a senior
Extending the Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit is part of the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario. The plan lays out how the government will build the foundation for Ontario’s recovery and prosperity by getting shovels in the ground on critical infrastructure, attracting increased investment, and restoring leadership in auto manufacturing and other industries. The plan also protects Ontario’s progress against the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Keep the receipts. Quick Facts
• The Seniors’ Home Safety Tax Credit is available to Ontario seniors or those who live with senior relatives regardless of their incomes and whether they owe any tax.
• Individuals can claim the credit for renovation expenses to their principal residence, either owned or rented, or to a residence that they reasonably expect to become their principal residence within the 24 months following the end of the year.
• To claim the tax credit, claimants should keep receipts from suppliers and contractors.
By Pepper Parr
December 12th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
 Mother Nature howled – people were sent home It was unfortunate.
Mother Nature turned on the people who worked hard to make the Holiday Market in Downtown Burlington a success.
It was windy most of the day but when the wind topped a light standard and crashed into a couple of cars it was time to send everyone home.
 Light standards topped damaging cars – Holiday Market was shut down Next door at Village Square traffic was decent – Lola’s was doing a booming hot chocolate business; protected by the buildings the decorations stayed up.
|
|
