By Staff

September 14, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

The candidate meeting for ward 2 is turning out to be an occasion for some chit chat between neighbours and those seeking the ward seat on city council.

Jane Cooper Kelly wrote the principal of Lakeshore Public school explain what her group (Lakeshore Public School Ratepayers Association) had in mind when they gathered in front of the school on September 18th.

Was there a “bait and switch” done by the planners of the candidate event? Is is an opportunity to get caught up with your neighbours.  God help the coyote who happens to wander through the school yard.

In her note to the principal she said: “…It was a pleasure meeting with you today to discuss the upcoming community information meeting to be held outdoors, this Sunday on the school grounds.

“The purpose of the meeting is to discuss topics like the recent coyote attacks, and resident safety on the Centennial Multi-use Path, and on the streets in the community.

“The Lakeshore Public School Ratepayers Association believes that the safety of the families who live in the community are at risk.

“Our city councillor has been invited to attend the meeting to speak to the concerns of our community.

“The City of Burlington, Boards of Education, Community Associations and families have an overriding responsibility to keep people safe, including the most vulnerable: children.

“Simply put, it takes a village to raise a child.

“I will be asking Trustee Reynolds to request administrators in her “family of schools” to provide this information to all students.”

Here are the details of the meeting:
Lakeshore Community Information Meeting
September 18, 2022
3:30-5:30pm
Rain or Shine

By Pepper Parr

September 13th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

Keith Demoe decided he wanted to sit on city council partly because he didn’t like the decisions they were making but more importantly to him was the way the decisions were being made.

Demoe come out of that part of the private sector that sees technology, particularly Information Technology, as the tool that is going to solve all our problems.

He spent 20 years with SAP – systems, applications, and products.

Keith Demoe takes a clear eyed view on just what the issues are.

He then, with a partner, went out on their own to market extensions to the SAP applications.

He prospered.

He first described himself as a progressive but didn’t expand on just what that meant.

Our meeting, which took up the best part of two hours started with Demoe telling me that he wanted to create a portal, an electronic address if you will, that ward 2 people could go to to find all the information they wanted.

Demoe was clearly not aware of the Service Burlington department in place to provide just that service.

Demoe believes people in Burlington have great ideas that are not being given the time and attention they deserve. Demoe isn’t going to get any argument for the significant number of people in the city who have given up on the idea of delegating – they don’t feel they are listened to.

In the 11 years the Gazette has been covering city council I cannot recall a single idea/project/initiative that was brought to council as a delegation that was then acted upon.

Demoe wants to be part of a city council that changes that.

He lives in the downtown core – in a condominium.

He has taken a leave of absence from his consulting/application development work and will phase himself out of that job should he be elected.

Once one gets past that first awkward stage with Keith Demoe he get animated.

Like anyone running for public office in Burlington he has views on the intensification that few are very happy about. The facts are what Demoe focuses on – “Burlington is going to have to grow up and not out because there is no more land for new traditional single family residential structures that have been built in the city since the end of WWII.

He looks at the farming sector and wants to know who owns the land and if it isn’t farmers who want to work the fields – then who is it and what do they want to do with the land longer term ?
What bothers Demoe is this: the public is not being given the facts.

The issues as Demoe sets them out on his web site.

Expanding the urban boundary which stops at Hwy 5 and the 407, is a huge concern for many. The moment you move that boundary as much as a foot north it will be very hard to stop it going further – the only immediate impediment is that the land is not serviced – which would result in more estate type housing.

Keith Demoe: his thinking does focus on the real problems.

At this point Demoe has no problem pointing to what he sees as the huge problem: the different interests between those who want affordable housing so they can actually live in Burlington and those who want to protect their equity.

Protecting their equity means having property values that are sky high that make it possible for people to sell and bank a considerable capital gain on the house they bought 20 years ago and those who at this point in time can’t get past the inability to come up with the required down payment.

While his views do not appear to be cast in stone his thinking does focus on the real problem. Demoe wants facts on the table so that voters can make informed decisions

Where is the Demoe campaign funding coming from? Keith is using his own money to cover his campaign costs – any money from outside the immediate family would be small donations from people he knows.

The Paletta interests have reached out to him – he hasn’t met with anyone yet

Demoe intends to make heavy use of video – I got the sense it would be along the lines of what Marianne Meed Ward did in her 2010 election.

Right now the campaign is a boots on the ground, knocking on doors operation where he is listening and taking notes.

Keith Demoe is at the least a contender.

By Staff

September 12th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

The coyotes are now having an impact on the process of electing a new city Council in October.

In a statement received earlier today the The Lakeshore Public School Ratepayers Association advised that ” For the safety of our residents due to the recent coyote attacks, the Ward 2 Neighbourhood Information Meeting on Sunday September 18 from 3:30-5:30pm will be moved from the Centennial Multi-use path to Lakeshore Public School.

This will be an outdoor meeting.

By Pepper Parr

September 12th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

There is a massive difference between the way the 2022 election is rolling out and the way things went in 2018

The people who were involved in the election were pumped – there was hope in the air – you could almost taste the expectations – things were going to be different.
And during the election things were different.

ECOB – the Engaged Citizens of Burlington arose and organized debates in every ward in the city.

Those debates filled the locations they were held in.

The ward 2 debate in 2018 filled the Baptist Church on New Street – there wasn’t even standing room.

Had the Fire Chief been around he would have shut down the meeting at the New Street Baptist Church.

There wasn’t even any standing room available.

This time around the Mayoralty race is a foregone conclusion. For a short period of time it looked as if the ward 5 incumbent was going to be acclaimed. Now there are three people running against Paul Sharman and he could be replaced.

There is a candidate in ward 2 who will give the incumbent there more than a good run for her money.

A rate payers group in ward 2 is holding what is a Meet and Greet. Questions to the candidate will be given to them in advance of the event and there won’t be a debate.

The Roseland Community Association has plans to hold an event – they too were reported to be planning on giving candidates the questions in advance.

What happened to the accountability the public is consistently asking for ?

What the public needs is an opportunity to see how well the candidates handle themselves when they are asked a question they don’t know is coming.

The crowd at the ward 1 debate in Aldershot filled the space – 11 candidates took part.

Candidates need to be challenged – learning that they aren’t all that swift after they have been sworn in isn’t what democratically elected councils are about.
Burlington is said to be polite – but this is just short of ridiculous.

There is one candidate who asked if he was allowed to attend a meeting at the Council Chamber – perhaps he was concerned about COVID19 issues?

We elect men and women to represent us and leave them to it. The public has a responsibility to do their homework, to look carefully at the candidates: that kind of thing takes place when there is a fair, honest open debate.

Meet and Greets and community sponsored events with candidates given the questions in advance is what happens in small rural communities where everyone already knows everyone.

The citizens of the city need to step up to the plate and do their job

Failing to require the candidates, incumbents and first timers,  will get you more of this which is not what the city needs at this point in its growth.

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

September 12th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

People being bitten by coyotes.

This is not a problem that is going to go away.

There are a lot of unknowns and something has to be put in place to get a solid grip on this problem.

The City of Burlington has activated its Crisis Management Team due to six unprovoked coyote attacks on residents.

The latest was reported to the City from a retirement home employee regarding one of their residents.

They howl at an early age.

Today, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward spoke to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), Graydon Smith, who expressed sincere concern for the health and safety of our residents and is working with us to help address this serious risk to our community from these unprecedented and unprovoked attacks.

One victim was a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who was on his backyard deck. The coyote grabbed him by the neck in an attempt to drag him away. City staff are in active discussions with coyote wildlife management experts at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to collaborate on solutions for the Burlington community.

City of Burlington staff will present a report to council on coyote management recommendations at the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 9:30 a.m. for approval at the City of Burlington Special Council Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at noon.

The most recent unprovoked coyote attack occurred this morning at 8:20 a.m. at a retirement home on New Street in the Roseland area. The victim was sitting out on their front patio in a chair. She was relaxing and awoke to the pain of the coyote biting her in the hip area. The coyote was startled when she woke up but tried to approach her again. She was able to scare it away. The retirement home employee saw what happened and ran out to check on the resident. The coyote ran across New Street into a neighbourhood. An ambulance was called for the victim and she was taken to hospital.

The coyote is described as a smaller sandy coloured coyote.

Please be vigilant in these areas and report coyote sightings using the form at burlington.ca/coyotes.

If you are attacked by a coyote, please seek immediate medical attention and report the attack to the Halton Region Health Department and to the City of Burlington Animal Services at animalservices@burlington.ca or 905-335-3030.
These attacks are uncharacteristic of coyotes and this cluster of attacks on humans are the first reported in Burlington.

City of Burlington Animal Services staff are patrolling the area to locate this coyote and its den.

They are also working with a Certified Wildlife Control Professional to eliminate the coyote.

While staff have been monitoring the area since the last attack on Aug. 24, they have found several neglected properties in the area that could be offering ideal denning areas for this pack of aggressive coyotes.

Bylaw Officers are being dispatched and prioritizing by bringing these properties to meet bylaw requirements and to remove the opportunity for coyotes to den on these sites.

Questions we will put to the city administration:

Fire Chief Karen Roche will get at the root of the problem and put forward recommendations that make sense – if she is given the mandate she will need,

What mandate does the Crisis management team have?

Who chairs that team?

Who are the members of that team?

There will be some comfort if we learn that Fire Chief Karen Roche is in constant an and instant communication with the city manager.

And lastly, has the city been sued by any of the families of the victims?

By Pepper Parr

September 9th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

Earlier today we published a short piece on the decision HRCA (Home Construction Regulatory Authority) made regarding the public filing made to the attention of Tariq Adi, Daniela Tom, calling for the revocation of building licences of six of the umbrella group’s nine entities for violations under the New Home Construction Licencing Act (NHCLA).

The regulator is also proposing amendments to the licences for the remaining three  Adi Developments (Lakeshore) Inc., Adi Developments (Thomas Alton) Inc., and 4880 Valera Road — to allow them to complete ongoing development projects to “avoid putting purchasers at further risk by cancelling these projects mid-construction.”

Realm Condominiums at 4853 Thomas Altona Boulevard

The ongoing projects in question are The Nautique Lakefront Residences located at 364 Martha Street, Realm Condominiums at 4853 Thomas Altona Boulevard, and The Valera, at 4880 Valera Road, all in Burlington.

“Adi Development Group has demonstrated, through the conduct of its related entities and interested persons, that its corporations should not be licenced builders or vendors under the NHCLA,” states the filing.

Bob Aaron, real estate lawyer at Aaron & Aaron Barristers and Solicitors, tells STOREYS that this is the first such act of enforcement made by the HCRA since its formation as a standalone regulator outside of Tarion in 2021. The inability of Adi to obtain an HCRA licence (formerly a Tarion Registration) essentially shuts them down, barring their ability to vend or build any new projects.

“Anybody who sells new construction without being licenced can be fined, and in fact, there have been cases where unlicensed builders have gone to jail for exactly that thing, selling unlicensed properties,” he says.

“If they try to sell new projects they will not have a Tarion licence and that will be disclosed in the agreements of purchase and sale, and nobody’s going to buy it if there’s no Tarion warranty.”

The HCRA specifically points to the Nautique development, which it opened an investigation into after receiving numerous consumer complaints.

The condo development, which sold units between 2010 – 2015, gained notoriety after Adi notified 174 purchasers on March 23, 2022, that their agreements would be terminated due to the builder’s “failure to obtain satisfactory construction financing.”

However, as the regulator notes, despite making this claim, Adi didn’t cancel all purchase agreements — just those without a high enough sale price. The developer then sought to resell the units at substantially higher prices, the HCRA states.

The Nautique at Martha and Lakeshore in Burlington.

Three months later, on June 20, 2022, the HCRA found Adi had only issued 27 purchasers their deposit refunds. The builder also confirmed at that time that they would only issue a refund to an original purchaser once a unit had been resold, and a new deposit received.

“Adi Morgan Developments (Lakeshore) Inc. has cancelled hundreds of purchase and sale agreements for condominium units in order to increase its profits. It expects purchasers under an existing agreement to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars more for their units. For those who are unwilling to do so, Adi Morgan Developments (Lakeshore) Inc. will only return deposits once a new purchaser comes along who is prepared to pay the increased price,” states the filing.

The HCRA adds that in response to a request for sale agreement documentation, Adi provided falsified versions, with altered dates and termination clauses.

“Not only is this unethical, and a violation of both the NHCLA and the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act (ONHWPA) but it also raises concerns about Adi Morgan Developments (Lakeshore) Inc.’s financial responsibility and competency.”

An advisory distributed by the HCRA on August 19, outlines the code builders must adhere to in regards to price escalations and contract terminations, stating that licencees must honour their agreements.

“If the Addendum and Agreement do not include a specific additional charge, payment, or anticipated adjustment, or if such a clause is not clear or is potentially misleading, the HCRA expects licencees to honour the original purchase price and complete the Agreement unless the purchaser consents by amendment to the Agreement to price adjustments/additional charges,” states the advisory.

“Depending on the circumstances, the HCRA may consider a licencee’s attempt to amend the Agreement to increase the purchase price as an indicator that a licencee has not demonstrated the necessary competencies to possess a licence including financial competency.”

These factors can include the amount of the requested price increase, the reason, the stage of construction, and the number of impacted purchasers, as well as how soon the project is to its closing date.

Aaron says that while he commends the HCRA and the government for their “proactive stance”, he’s curious as to how much this enforcement pertains to the price increase hitting consumers, or the other unethical behaviour Adi has allegedly engaged in.

“I wonder how much of these proceeding relates to them not refunding deposits versus increasing the prices without justification. So we will have to see whether HCRA is going to pursue other builders who may be returning deposits, but have increased the prices without justification,” he says.

“If we find another builder who does not falsify documents, who has refunded the deposits, but who has just made enormous price increases, one wonders whether the HCRA will peruse those builders just for increasing the prices — that remains to be seen.”

Adi Development Group has the option to appeal and request a hearing before the License Appeal Tribunal, and must deliver notice of appeal within 15 calendar days. If no action is taken, their licence is to be revoked as of Friday, September 9.

The bulk of this article came from Storeys, a Newsletter targeting the real estate and development sectors.