 By Pepper Parr
May 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
I recently had cataract surgery done on both eyes. I had an excellent ophthalmologist.
My cost, the amount I had to pay the hospital where the surgery was done amounted to, $440.
There was an additional small cost to have the eyes measured. My ophthalmologist didn’t like what she saw in the test results and asked me to return to the clinic in Hamilton to a re-test – at no cost to me.
The service at the hospital in Stoney Creek where the surgery was done was superb – from the front desk where intake was done to the nurses who got me through the checking on data, asking questions about my blood pressure, my diet. The front desk intake clerk deserves a medal for the way she handled people who were elderly and concerned about the surgery
With the surgery complete my opticians took over from the ophthalmologist. If there is a problem its gets caught at the optician level and they advise the ophthalmologist.
I was in the hands of people who are very good at their jobs.
There are many people who did not have the experience I had. Many have been scammed and told that the procedure was going to cost much more – thousands for some.
I had been working with a clinic in Burlington where it became evident to me that they were attempting to up sell me – I moved on when it began to seem a little dodgy to me.
 The Ontario Health Coalition released a new report this month about private for-profit clinics unlawfully charging patients for health care.
They are currently ramping up promotion of the May 30th rallies to reach more Ontarians than we ever have and put pressure on the Ford government to stop privatization.
Below is just a sampling of media coverage that the OHC received during the past three weeks.
(April 16, 2024)
By: Ainsley Smith & Caryn Lieberman, Global News Toronto
More than 100 patients have come forward to voice their concerns over being charged for care in private clinics in a newly-released report by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC). A majority of these patients are seniors living on fixed incomes, with the fees imposing significant financial burdens on them.
The Ontario Health Coalition, which advocates for publicly-funded health care, held press conferences across the province to release the report, titled Illegal, Unlawful and Unethical: Case Studies of Patients Charged for Medical Care in Ontario’s Private Clinics, which stated that for-profit clinics expanded by the Ford government have been charging patients thousands in unlawful fees.
The report featured case studies on more than 100 patients, who said they’ve either been charged extra fees, been denied treatment, been told if they didn’t pay, they would face “extreme” wait times, or even been tricked into add-on fees.
The report said some patients faced bills upwards of $8,000 for eye surgeries and tests, resulting in considerable financial strain. According to OHC, one patient had to go back to work at the age of 71 to cover their bill, while others resorted to accumulating debt, depleting their savings, borrowing money or sacrificing other necessities.
One patient, Shalom Schachter from Toronto, told Global News he was sold a story about needing extra eye testing and lenses by an ophthalmologist surgeon and ended up paying close to $1,200 at a for-profit clinic.
“I could use the OHIP paid-for equipment, but that wasn’t going to be the best for me. He had diagnostic equipment that was going to identify my condition in a more accurate way,” said Schachter.
Maureen Monro of London reported that she was told she would have to wait two years unless she paid thousands of dollars for cataract surgery.
“I was informed the cost to receive the surgery would be almost $7,000. Being as I live alone, I did not want to lose my quality of life. Therefore, I paid the $7,000. Being a senior on a fixed income, I am still trying to catch up with bills from this surgery.”
In the report, the OHC highlighted discrepancies in Premier Doug Ford’s assurances regarding the privatization of surgeries and diagnostics. Despite his “headline-grabbing” pledge that Ontarians would only need to use their OHIP cards, not their credit cards, for medical payments, and the promise of robust safeguards against extra billing and user fees, the reality of patients being charged user fees at private clinics contradicts these commitments.
“It is unlawful to charge a patient for any OHIP-covered service or any part of an OHIP-covered service. In fact, it’s illegal,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of OHC.
The report also revealed the predominant fees patients faced were associated with eye surgeries at for-profit clinics, particularly for cataract procedures. Many patients said they were not informed the service was OHIP-covered, while a third of patients said they were charged between $500 and $5,000 per eye for the surgery.
Kate Armstrong, a small business owner in Toronto, was one of these people.
Armstrong was informed by a surgeon at a private clinic that the wait time at a public hospital would be “impossibly long” and that the hospital could not offer the desired “upgraded” lens. Consequently, she opted to undergo additional tests and eye surgery at a private clinic.
“$8,000 later, I don’t believe it was an accident that they swiped my Visa card instead of my OHIP card. It was never actually discussed on any level that OHIP covered any of it,” she said to Global News.
In the report, the OHC said the most common violations of public medicare laws in private clinics included telling patients they had to pay for medically-needed surgeries, requiring patients to pay for add-ons not needed or covered by OHIP and charging for preferential access to care for those who paid out of pocket.
“They’re seniors… They’d have to go back to work at 70 and 80 years old to cover these costs. It’s disgusting. It violates every moral that we have,” said Mehra.
In response, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health told Global News that over the last year they’ve added tens of thousands of OHIP-covered cataract surgeries and achieved some of the shortest wait times of any province in the country.
“Through Bill 60, our government has further strengthened the oversight of community surgical and diagnostic centres, by bringing these centres under the oversight of a patient ombudsman, ensuring access to services cannot be conditional on their choice to pay or not pay on additional, uninsured service and putting into law that Ontarians will always access insured services at community surgical and diagnostic centres with their OHIP card and never their credit card,” the spokesperson said.
OHC said there have been incidents where patients were told they had to pay for OHIP-covered surgeries, or told that if they didn’t, they would face a lengthy wait for a hospital procedure.
Patients also reported being charged for cataract surgery add-ons they didn’t need, like extra eye measurements and tests, the OHC report said claimed were “safer or better” than OHIP-covered services.
OHC noted the patients were also denied access to surgery if they declined to pay out-of-pocket for them, the report says.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones has stated previously Ontarians would never have to pay out-of-pocket for OHIP-insured services with the private clinics.
 In a statement, Jones’s spokesperson, Hannah Jensen, described OHC as an “out-of-touch, NDP-backed special interest group.”
Jensen said the province had added tens of thousands of OHIP-covered cataract surgeries over the past year, and that 80 per cent of patients see their procedure “within clinically recommended target times.”
The province says when a provider is found in violation of the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, it gives them a chance to be in compliance. The act bans the charging of patients for medically-needed surgeries and diagnostic tests, according to OHC.
The Ontario government is paying a for-profit clinic more than it pays its public hospitals to perform identical, provincially covered surgeries, according to documents obtained by CBC News.
The province is preparing to expand the number of private clinics providing OHIP-covered tests and procedures — a move it claims will reduce wait times and save taxpayers money.
Last year, CBC News revealed the province paid a for-profit surgery clinic in Toronto – whose parent company’s lobbyists include Ontario’s former health minister – more to perform certain OHIP-covered procedures than public hospitals.
Health advocates and opposition parties allege it’s part of a broader effort to privatize Ontario health care in favour of one similar to that in the U.S., something the province has denied.
The province wants to expand for-profit clinics and allow them to do surgeries like hips and knees in an effort to reduce wait times across the province.
Many of the patient testimonies included in the report described similar stories to Edwards — people said they were referred to a private clinic by their physician or optometrists after being told they would have to wait years to get the surgery if they went to the hospital to get it done.
Others said they felt like they had information withheld by the clinics and charged for unnecessary add-ons, like upgraded lenses.
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones responded to the coalition’s concern about patients being up-sold for those services.
“We’re talking about a group that’s ideologically opposed to any innovation and any changes in the health-care system,” she told CBC News.
 By Staff
May 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board has invited students, parents, guardians and staff to provide feedback by completing the Have Your Say survey.
The survey is open from May 6 to June 3, 2024. Parents and guardians of HDSB students can access the survey through the Have Your Say webpage of the HDSB’s website (hdsb.ca).
Students in Grade 4 to 12 will receive a link to the student survey through their classroom teacher and will complete the survey during the school day.
The information gathered from the Have Your Say survey will help the HDSB continue to create positive environments, inform school improvement and well-being plans and enable parents, guardians and students to have a voice in creating a supportive community in HDSB schools.
 Students at M. M. Robinson high school.  Curtis Ennis, Director of Education “Your input is pivotal in shaping the future of our educational landscape,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the Halton District School Board. “The HDSB is committed to actively engaging in dialogue with our partners in education to ensure that together we may build a brighter future for our students. With your feedback, we can help guide meaningful change to enhance student learning, well-being and success.”
The Have Your Say survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Responses are confidential, voluntary and students and parents/guardians can skip any question they do not wish to answer. The survey is available in eight additional languages: Arabic, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Urdu. Respondents will select their preferred language when they begin the survey.
Data from the Have Your Say anonymous survey for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years is displayed on the HDSB web site.
Students in grades 4-12 were invited to respond to questions pertaining to learning, safety, bullying, well-being and substance use (Grade 7 and above only).
Participation Rates were a surprise.
Participation rates are presented for the 2021-22 school year. A total of 23,646 Grade 4 to 12 students participated in the 2021-2022 survey, representing a participation rate of 51%.
Participation was higher for elementary students (63%), relative to secondary students (37%).
There was no detail on what the HDSB learned from the previous surveys.
By Staff
May 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
With the Winter that really wasn’t – we now have a Spring that is.
Buds are springing out all over the place.
How is this for a driveway?
 It all came up with the sunshine yesterday – and kept on growing.  The small pink plants behind the robust green bush seem to compliment each other.
By Staff
May 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
A census tract is a small, relatively stable geographic area that usually has a population between 2,500 and 8,000 persons. With one exception, the census tract which includes North Oakville has a population of over 21,000 in the 2021 Census.
Analyzing the distribution pattern can help identify communities where core housing need is most prevalent. It can shed light on underlying contributing socio-economic factors.
The information can reveal how households in core housing need are distributed in relation to essential services and amenities, such as healthcare facilities, schools, public transportation and employment centres.
There are clusters of racialized households in core housing in Oakville and Milton. In Burlington and Halton Hills, the households are more dispersed.
 The dots relate to the number of racialized homes; the colours indicate the number of racialized homes and where they are located. This is not good news data.
By Staff
May 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Getting children to speak the truth can be a struggle at times. While a lie, when discovered, is often followed by a punishment, there’s a more effective way to prevent future fibbing, says new Brock-led research.
 Angela Evans: Professor of Psychology, Brock University “Previous studies have found punishing lie-telling actually increases this behaviour because children are afraid of getting in trouble,” says Brock Professor of Psychology Angela Evans, lead author of “Encouraging Honesty: Developmental Differences in the Influence of Honesty Promotion Techniques.”
A combination of techniques that encourage and praise truth-telling has been shown to reduce whether children lie to conceal a wrongdoing, she adds.
Evans and McGill University Professor of Educational and Counselling Psychology Victoria Talwar conducted a two-part study, with each portion designed to test the effectiveness of a range of honesty promotion techniques in children aged three to eight, separated into two-year age groups.
Part of the research is a video: Click HERE to access
One part saw the researchers test whether the combination of two techniques — modelling, where children are exposed to examples of other people being honest; and consequences, which shows children a positive outcome of truth-telling, approval from parents and others when the truth is spoken — would further boost truth-telling in children across age groups.
A total of 228 children participated in an exercise in which each child was left alone in a room with a toy on a table behind where the child was sitting. The experimenter instructed the child not to peek at the toy and then left the room, with a hidden camera recording what the child did when alone. Most of the children peeked at the toy.
After returning to the room, the experimenter read a story to the child. Some children heard a version about a character who modelled honesty by admitting they broke a window with their bouncy ball. Others heard a story without the character owning up to breaking the window but the mother saying she would be pleased if her child told the truth, which simulated consequences.
Finally, a portion of the child participants heard the full story of the character saying they broke the window, the mother’s encouragement to tell the truth and praise for the character for having done so: “I’m glad you did not lie. It makes me happy that you told the truth.”
The child was then asked whether they had peeked at the toy.
 The study is a reminder to praise the child for telling the truth about their wrongdoing, rather than focusing on the wrongdoing itself. The researchers found children across all age groups who heard the full version of the story were the most likely to confess peeking at the toy compared to those who heard the versions containing only modelling or consequences.
“Our findings suggest that modelling honesty or telling children about the positive outcomes of honesty are not enough and that children need to see both the modelling of honesty and what the consequences of doing so are together,” says Evans.
She encourages parents to provide models of honesty for their children through parental behaviour, reading stories such as George Washington and the Cherry Tree that encourage truth-telling, and rewarding honesty in day-to-day interactions.
“As parents, the gut reaction when a child has done something wrong is to respond to the negative behaviour that’s happened,” says Evans. “This study is a reminder to praise the child for telling the truth about their wrongdoing, rather than focusing on the wrongdoing itself.”
Evans recommends considering a lesser punishment for wrongdoing, such as one week without screen time instead of two, because they told the truth — and being explicit that the difference is due to their honesty.
In the other part of the study, researchers looked at two additional techniques — self-awareness and promising to be honest — to determine which ones encouraged truth-telling in the age groups.
To encourage self-awareness, the researchers had children look in the mirror and point to parts of their own face and state their name, grade or age.
Researchers found self-awareness was most effective in reducing lie-telling for three- to four-year-olds, while promising to tell the truth reduced lie-telling for the seven- to eight-year-olds.
The study, published in March, was funded by the federal government through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
 By Staff
May 6, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Ministry of Education has created a theme to be used during Education Week – May 6-10.
The Halton District School Board (HDSB) joins school boards across Ontario by dedicating each day to focusing on one of the five areas of focus in the 2020-2024 Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYP) to highlight the importance of schools, staff, families and the community working together to support the well-being and academic success of students.
Monday, May 6 – Learning & Achievement: Examples will be shared of how the HDSB elevates student achievement and creates a culture of high expectations to maximize achievement and set students up for success beyond the classroom.
Tuesday, May 7 – Mental Health & Well-Being: This area of focus highlights how schools promote well-being and foster supportive spaces where all are equipped to succeed. May 6-12 is Mental Health Week, as designated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), to promote mental health awareness, decreasing stigma and helpful resources.
Wednesday, May 8 – Equity and Inclusion: This area of focus shows how schools champion inclusive practices to cultivate an environment where every student has equitable access to education, support and opportunities for growth and achievement.
Thursday, May 9 – Environmental Leadership: This area shows how HDSB schools are providing hands-on learning of science and ecosystems that enables students and staff to elevate local environmental initiatives and practices, and take action to help create a sustainable world.
Friday, May 10 – Indigenous Perspectives & Awareness: On the final day of Education Week, the HDSB will highlight the many learning opportunities for students and staff that help promote knowledge and understanding of Indigenous perspectives and realities.
How much of this “celebration” is going to impact the way parents talk about – think about the public education system we use to educate young people?
 Amy Collard, Chair of the Halton District School Board Amy Collard, Chair of the Halton District School Board said: ““Creating the right educational environment is crucial for academic achievement and paves the way for continued success. It is incredible to witness students thriving, and it speaks volumes to the dedication of our staff who have been doing exceptional work to prepare students for lifelong learning.”
HDSB is currently revising their Multi-Year Plan with the overall purpose of setting direction and prioritizing the collective actions of all stakeholders to ensure our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated to support the more than 65,000 students, 11,000 staff and the broader HDSB community.
Related news article:
Provide feedback for the HDSB Multi-Year Plan.
 By Pepper Parr
May 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
“It’s absurd how ineffective our current recycling program is, and how long it’s taken to do something about it
A recent poll commissioned by Environmental Defence found that 81 per cent of Ontarians want a deposit-return system for non-alcoholic beverage containers. The poll, conducted by Abacus Data, shows overwhelming public support for a better system to manage empties for drinks like pop, water and juice in the province. Support is up five per cent from last year when 76 per cent of Ontarians supported deposit return.
 All this is handled as waste that has to be managed. A better solution is to have it delivered to retail locations and recycled. Getting the retail sector to buy into that is the problem. Last summer, the province invited beverage companies, retailers, and other stakeholders to join a working group to explore the implementation of a deposit-return system in the province. But nearly a year has passed, and the province has yet to confirm its plan to deal with this source of plastic waste and pervasive litter. In the meantime, an estimated 1.7 billion plastic drink bottles have ended up in landfills, incinerators, and the environment.
“It’s absurd how ineffective our current recycling program is, and how long it’s taken to do something about it,” said Ashley Wallis, Associate Director at Environmental Defence. “Ontario is one of only two provinces in Canada without a comprehensive deposit-return system, and as a result, it has the worst beverage container recycling rate in the country. Bringing deposit return to Canada’s most populous province could keep upwards of a billion plastic bottles out of landfills, incinerators and the environment every year.”
The poll also asked Ontarians where they want to return their empties. More than half would prefer to return their drink containers to retail locations, like grocery and convenience stores, suggesting that ease of use and accessibility are important factors for the government to consider when designing regulations.
“Deposit return is a proven, common sense policy solution,” said Wallis. “It’s a solution Ontarians are familiar with, given the highly successful deposit system for alcoholic drink containers, and one that the public supports regardless of geography or political affiliation. We need Ontario to regulate a fair, and convenient deposit return system that ensures strong environmental outcomes and prioritizes ease of use and convenient access. There is no time to waste.”
If you want to see a change pop a note to the Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre
Tel. 905-639-7924
Email. Natalie@nataliepierrempp.ca
 By Pepper Parr
May 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Provincial Liberal Association met for their AGM on April 17th.
The following are the people who chose to run for position on the association executive.
Candidates for Executive Offices
President – Lisa Mayeski
VP – (Vacant)
VP at Large – John Syko
Large – (Vacant)
Secretary – Ancilla Ho-Young
Treasurer – Sandy O’Reilly
Director – Hamza Ansari
Director – Roble Osoble
Director – Noah Parker
Director – Gayle Laws
Director – Sima Acan
Director – Catherine Donnars-Hodgson
Talha Celik
Peter Hodgson
Gloria Turney
Director – (Vacant)
 Lisa Mayeski – BPLA President Lisa Mayeski has been the president for the past couple of years and is running for that position again. She commented: “It has been my honour to serve as BPLA President over the past three years and work along side our dedicated board of directors and members. I am proud of the accomplishments of BPLA to date and I am committed to ensuring we are in the best position possible moving forward into the next election so that we can turn Burlington red again. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work done by the BPLA board, including arranging the meet and greets with each of the Leadership candidates, and thank our members and volunteers for their continued engagement and support. Moving forward I hope to continue serving as your association president and look forward to executing BPLA’s plan to expand member and community outreach initiatives.”
The association was very active when the party was deciding who the new leader would be. Bonnie Crombie won that position but not on the first ballot.
 Galen Naidoo-Harris with provincial Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie: It rained on their parade. There isn’t much in terms of the associations part in the Milton by-election. Andrea Grebenc had an: “Interesting day out in rural Burlington today. A lot of people seem quite upset with Ford about not keeping his promises about the stopping the quarries, spending our tax dollars on a foreign spa at Ontario place, paving prime farmland for the 413, and not investing enough into healthcare and education (not keeping up with inflation is a CUT!)
“Even got a couple of signs out for Galen Naidoo Harris (Liberal candidate). Please vote May 2 and send a message to Doug that we do not condone his terrible governance, his broken promises, and wasting our hard-earned tax dollars.”
The provincial Liberals needed a win in Milton badly. The provincial Progressive Conservatives were all over the riding
With the Milton by-election now decided – the Progressive Conservatives held the seat – it is worth a look at how much campaigning the local Liberals were able to do in what was seen by many as a critical campaign for Burlington; the north western part of the city is within the Milton boundary.
The federal House of Commons seat for Milton is held by a Liberal.
The Gazette doesn’t recall seeing any call for campaign teams to canvas the part of the riding within the constituency boundary.
Every political association knows that it takes boots on the ground and heavy door to door campaigning to win. There is very little on the Burlington Liberal associations web site
At this point there is not yet a list of who the members of the association posted on their web site.
The next provincial election is to be held in June of 2026. The Progressive Conservatives are preparing to holds their nomination meeting with several candidates out there beating the bushes for support.
The riding has been held by Liberals in the past and can be taken back – but not with the level of involvement we have seen so far.
By Pepper Parr
May 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
We need to remember how it all started.
Veteran journalist Paul Wells, an observer of national politics for decades while writing for Maclean’s, National Post, the Toronto Star and now Substack, shares his thoughts in his new book “Trudeau on the Ropes.” An excerpt from the book follows
“In March 2012 the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation organized an event called Fight for the Cure. People from the professional classes would sell tickets and box with one another awkwardly. It took Justin Trudeau weeks to find a Conservative who would face him. Finally, a beefy Conservative-appointed senator named Patrick Brazeau answered the call.
 Make a point of asking the library to order the book. Worth reading. “The two men climbed into a makeshift ring in a packed ballroom at the east-end Hampton Inn on March 31.
“The whole thing, ridiculously, inevitably, was broadcast live on national television. Brazeau’s arms were bigger than Trudeau’s legs and in the days before the match Brazeau’s Conservative caucus colleagues had passed their time on Twitter gleefully celebrating his victory ahead of time. In the event, it took Trudeau about seven minutes to pummel Brazeau so nearly senseless that the referee stopped the fight.
“Five weeks later, Trudeau’s photo was on the cover of Maclean’s, illustrating an article that said, look, maybe this guy should be the next leader of what had been, until Stephen Harper came along, the winningest political party in Western civilization.
“Forty-nine weeks after that, by God, he was.
“And the next time Canadians got a chance to vote on the matter, the Liberals, with Trudeau as leader, snapped a three-election losing streak and returned to power, where they remain, after a fashion, to this day.”
By Pepper Parr
May 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It is celebrated on the first Sunday in May; In remembrance of the longest campaign during the Second World War.
Battle of the Atlantic Sunday.
 HMCS Burlinngton J250 – mine sweeper Warships, many built in Canada, manned by Canadians who fought valiantly to protect the convoys that were taking material and supplies to Great Britain and Russia. The Murmansk Run was one of the most hazardous.
 The Naval Memorial in Spencer Smith Park bears the name of every warship lost on one side the the names of every merchant ship lost on the other side. HX 300 was the largest convoy to sail out of the Bedford Basin in Halifax with 166 merchant ships arranged in 19 parallel columns to produce a formation approximately 9 miles (14 km) wide and 4 miles (6.4 km) long. The average Atlantic crossing took between 14-17 days.
Twenty three of the ships that did convoy duty were built in Collingwood, corvettes and minesweepers.
HMCS Burlington, a minesweeper built in 1941, sailed into Burlington for a day and left for Halifax.
She had a crew of 83 people, could reach a speed of 16k nots and had Battle Honours for service in the Atlanta from 1942- 1944 and Gulf of St Lawrence, 1942
She was sold to a New Jersey business man in October 1945.
 By Ray Rivers
May 4th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
 Zee Hamid, Progressive Conservative candidate on the election campaign trial. He won. Conservative Zee Hamid handily beat out his Liberal opponent to win the right to represent the people of Milton at Queen’s Park in the May 2nd by-election. Little more that a quarter of the eligible voters bothered to come out for the vote, despite it being a lovely sunny and warm day. That is a sad testimony on the state of our democracy, no matter how you spin it.
Milton has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades since its mayor pushed regional council to introduce the ‘big pipe’. Pipes actually, one to bring fresh water from Lake Ontario and the other to return that water as sewage back to a lake where safe fish consumption is already severely limited.
 Premier Ford, Milton Mayor Gord Krantz and candidate Zee Hamid Mayor Krantz, much like Ontario’s premier, is apparently in love with a 1960’s urban sprawl model of development. As its ‘eternal’ mayor, he has stacked the once charming farm community of Milton to overflowing with wall-to-wall housing and warehousing, destroying countless acres of quality farm and natural habitat, and saddling its rural residents with the high costs of maintaining sprawl development. One has to wonder why Milton was overlooked for inclusion as part of the provincial green belt in the first place.
Zee Hamid wasn’t always a Tory, having switched his colours for this election. He tried, unsuccessfully, for the federal Liberal nomination back in 2015 and had been a Liberal party donor up until fairly recently. Still, his record as a town councillor should help prepare him for his new role as MPP. And a good part of that record had been to promote exactly the kind of sprawl development over which his new party leader salivates. In which case Mr. Hamid is finally home.
 Bonnie Crombie: Leader Ontario Liberal Party: She decided Milton was not winnable – and a win was vital. This was the first provincial by-election since Bonnie Crombie won leadership of the provincial Liberals last December. There was an expectation that the new leader, who resides a stone’s throw away in Mississauga, would take advantage of the opportunity to win a seat and present herself where it matters most – at Queen’s Park. That she walked away, some would say chickened out, has to be a huge blow to the people who trusted her with their vote for leadership.
I had been a strong critic of Mr. Ford even before he stole the Tory nomination in what can only be described as a smelly right-wing coup on the eve of the 2018 election. At the time I wrote that Ford was ill equipped to lead a modern progressive province which Ontario had become since the turbulent days of Mike Harris. And he has done little to make me want to alter that sentiment.
But clearly there are a lot of people who feel differently about Ford and what the Progressive Conservative tribe he leads stands for. Somehow the entire Greenbelt fiasco, which was a disgraceful episode regardless whether the RCMP presses criminal charges, has been forgotten. The voting public showed up – or failed to show up – and rewarded the premier with another feather in his hat. There was also another by-election win in the Tory safe seat of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex to help boost the premier’s confidence and convince him that he is on the right track.
 The Greenbelt fiasco and an ongoing RCMP investigation didn’t appear to matter to the voters that did show up for the btelection. There was a time when even a hint of wrong doing spelled the end to a politician’s career. But today one can look south of the border to where a former president has been indicted on numerous criminal charges. And yet, incredibly, that has only enhanced the public’s affection for him. Perhaps Mr. Ford’s apparent fondness for breaking the rules helps explain this phenomenon which seems to result in his own popularity.
Particularly interesting is how the younger voters in the US have shifted their support from the person who claims to have done so much for them. Biden paid off a huge amount of university student debt and his policies have expanded the US labour force and reduced unemployment. Strangely the preference among the beneficiaries has been to throw their support to someone who opposed all of that and who is threatening to erode their democratic rights.
 Social media is not capable of providing the depth needed to fully understand the changes taking place. For some reason society is limiting its sources of information at a time when credible sources are what is needed most. Of course this younger generation generally shun TV news and won’t read newspapers to get their information. They prefer to tune in daily to unedited, virtually uncontrolled social media platforms – a grown up version of “kids say the funniest things” to get their daily dose of what is going on. At least the US has promised to ban Chinese controlled Tik Tok. The current large scale protests over Gaza have been traced directly to the vast amount of misinformation appearing daily on Tik Tok and other social media.
The Trudeau government also has been trying to do something to improve the quality of the content on online platforms and social media generally. It has introduced a number of laws, C-10/11 amending the Broadcast Act; C-18 The Online News Act; and C-63 The Online Harms Act. Governing media is a delicate rope walk and, of course the official opposition has generally opposed all of these new rules – at least until, and if, they form government.
There will be more opportunity to air those concerns as the clock ticks down to the next provincial election in 2026 and an even earlier federal election slated for October 2025. But the right thing to do after a by-election is congratulate the winner and hope that the trust of those who voted for Mr. Hamid will be truly earned.
 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:
Big Pipe – By-election – Urban Sprawl – Tik Tok
By Pepper Parr
May 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Ontario Land Tribunal completed a solid week of hearings on the plans to re-develop the Waterfront Hotel site and construct two towers that will soar to 30 and 35 storeys on top of a four story podium.
 The bridge between the two towers has been removed and the eastern tower moved closer to the lake. Major questions on how much city land can the development encroach on?  It will take a bit to pull a news story out of the hours of witness testimony but we can tell you now that the plans call for the pedestrian entrance to the hotel portion of the new development will be on Elizabeth Street opposite the Pearle Hotel. Access to the underground garage and the loading docks will also be on Elizabeth Steet
Entrances to the underground garages are for both the Pearle and the hotel that will be part of the two tower development a planned for Elizabeth Street south of Lakeshore Road.
No matter how one looks at this – it will be an ongoing problem. More when we dig into the details.
 Concept of what the Lakeshore Road area could look like We also have a clearer sense as to what the streetscape on Lakeshore Road could look like. The plans to date have the potential to animate that part of the street. The entrance to the eastern end of Spencer Smith Park will be though a wide opening between the two towers – similar to what has been done with the Bridgewater development to the east.
The lawyers representing the City and those representing the developer are some distance apart on what they are saying to the OLT Member S. Dionne, hearing the arguments.
 By Pepper Parr
May 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
There has been a lot of talk recently at City Council meetings about democracy.
The look we got at the democratic process yesterday has to make one wonder.
The turnout was less than 25% – closer to 20%
 Zee Hamid will be the MP for Milton once he is sworn in. In Milton the Progressive Conservatives held the seat by a respectable margin.
Earlier in the day the New Democrats said in the Legislature that there was a report of email in the Premier’s office was being deleted from computers.
The email was related to the Greenbelt mess that the RCMP is still looking into.
By-elections are often seen as referendums on the government.
There were two by-elections in Ontario yesterday.
Both were won by the Progressive Conservatives. A part of the Milton riding includes the northern section of Burlington.
That is the clearest message the Premier could ask for – the public is Ok with us, we can keep doing what we have been doing.
And we do know what they have been doing.
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 Staff
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON’
The City of Burlington is introducing a new civic recognition initiative to celebrate the individuals and groups who volunteer to make Burlington better.
Civic recognition will be awarded twice each year, in the spring and fall. The application period for spring civic recognition nominations is open now until May 30 at burlington.ca/civicrecognition.
How to submit a nomination
Nominating an individual or group is easy.
- Review the civic recognition eligibility. To be eligible, nominees must:
- Be a resident of Burlington or own a Burlington business
- Not currently hold political office
- Have contributed on a volunteer basis
- Primarily serve the residents of Burlington
- Not be a City employee or elected official nominated for their work as a City employee or elected official. City projects are also not eligible for an award.
- Complete the online nomination form by May 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Multiple nominations from the same person are accepted. Please fill out one nomination form per nominee.
Civic Recognition awards
All nominations will be evaluated by an independent selection committee made up of volunteer members from the City’s Advisory Committees. There is no limit to the number of individuals or groups who can receive recognition.
A celebration to recognize successful recipients will be held in person at an evening Council meeting on June 24, 2024.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “The City of Burlington has amazing residents who do incredible work in serving and supporting our community. Civic Recognition gives Council the chance to acknowledge these selfless individuals and how they have changed our city for the better. On behalf of Council, we look forward to shining a spotlight on these remarkable individuals who make a positive difference in our community.”
Samantha Yew, City Clerk reports that “Through the public engagement we did with the community, we learned many of these amazing volunteers prefer not to be recognized with a big event. They told us the work they do is the true reward. To honour this spirit, we are excited to introduce a new approach to civic recognition where we can express our thanks in a more relaxed and informal setting.”
By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
There’s more. Are you surprised?
 Official Opposition Leader, Marit Stiles speaking in the Legislature Ontario NDP and Official Opposition Leader, Marit Stiles, responded to new information on the Greenbelt scandal that confirms staff deleted emails.
“Each new evidence on the Greenbelt scandal is worse than the last. Deleting government emails is a crime. Let’s not forget that senior staff involved in the Liberal’s gas plant scandal went to jail for deleting emails.”
The “new evidence” Stiles refers to was made public by The Trillium, an online, subscriber only service. The Trillium is part of the Village Media, an organization that has 147 online newspapers in Canada
Stiles is saying that: “Doug Ford needs to come clean and stop hiding information from the people of Ontario.
Why did his staff delete emails about the Greenbelt scandal?
What was in those emails?
Now we’ll never know.
Enough is enough. I hope the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the RCMP criminal investigation get to the bottom of this. People deserve to know the truth.”
By Staff
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
As temperatures start to climb this time of year, the Ontario government is encouraging people across the province to take precautions to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, when enjoying the outdoors.
 They are small – but still dangerous. Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases can cause potentially serious infections if you’re bitten by an infected blacklegged tick, commonly called a deer tick. If you have any symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and an expanding circular rash that resembles a bulls-eye, consult a health care provider as soon as possible.
“As we start enjoying the warmer weather again, it is important that we all take steps to protect ourselves and loved ones from tick bites and tick-borne diseases,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Blacklegged ticks are continuing to spread to new areas of the province, but by being proactive, we can combat the risk they pose and safely enjoy the beauty of Ontario over the coming months.”
If you are living, working, visiting, or enjoying outdoor activities in a wooded area, or an area with tall grass and bushes (including city gardens and parks) you are at greater risk of being bitten by a tick. You can protect yourself from tick bites by:
- Wearing light-coloured clothing, so it’s easier to spot ticks.
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants tucked into your socks, closed-toed shoes, or any special clothing designed to repel ticks.
- Applying insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin on your exposed skin and your clothes.
- Checking yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after being outdoors. Any ticks found should be removed promptly.
- Putting your clothes on high heat in a dryer for at least 10 minutes before washing them, after spending time outdoors.
 A larger look at a tick. Ticks are very small and hard to see. When found, it should be removed immediately using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible without crushing it. Once you have removed a tick, wash your skin with soap and water and then disinfect your skin and your hands with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab. Before disposing of the tick, call or check the website of your local public health unit to get advice on how to identify the tick. You can also submit a photo of the tick to etick.ca for identification.
“As areas where ticks can be found continue to grow, so to do the risks of tick bites and tick-borne diseases,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “By being vigilant, wearing appropriate clothing and doing routine tick checks, we can avoid tick bites and ensure our trips outside are safe and healthy, in the months ahead.”
If you have any health concerns after a tick bite, consult a health care provider as soon as possible. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics, and pharmacists have been able to prescribe medication to treat tick bites to prevent Lyme disease since January 1, 2023.
By Staff
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Calling all aspiring Burlington writers—embark on a literary adventure and let your creativity soar!
 Burlington Public Library’s annual writing contest, Write Here Write Now, runs May 1 to 31. They invite everyone ages 10 and older who lives, works, or attends school in Burlington to unleash their storytelling prowess and enter their creative work.
This year’s theme, “Journeys of Discovery,” offers a boundless array of interpretations. Let your imagination roam freely within the theme, whether you imagine a physical odyssey, delve into an emotional voyage, or explore the realms of self-discovery or new worlds.
Our contest features three exciting categories: short stories, poems, and comics, each judged by age group: 10-12, 13-17, and 18+. Last year, we read nearly 200 entries across these categories, revealing an impressive array of talent in our community.
We are seeking unpublished and original works sparked by your imagination. The entry deadline is Friday, May 31, so mark your calendars and start crafting your masterpieces!
A team of dedicated contest judges will carefully select one winning entry from each age and contest category. The winners will receive a $100 cash prize, along with the admiration of our community for their storytelling achievements.
Visit www.bpl.on.ca/writenow for the contest entry rules and online submission form.
By Staff
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The pickleball community is asking their enthusiasts to get ready to “slice through the latest scoop in the world of pickleball in Burlington!”
Two organizations have partnered with Passion for Parkinson’s Foundation to promote pickleball as a fun and effective form of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease.
The two are: learn2pickle.com and burlingtonpickleball.com
Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It is a great way to get exercise, improve hand-eye coordination, and socialize with others. Studies have shown that pickleball can be beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease, helping to improve balance, coordination, and overall well-being.
 Through this partnership, we will be offering a variety of initiatives, including:
· FREE Pickleball classes for people with Parkinson’s disease
· Educational workshops on the benefits of pickleball for Parkinson’s
· Fundraising events to support Passion for Parkinson’s Foundation
We believe that together, we can make a difference in the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease.
CLASSES ARE HELD AT
TANSLEY WOODS COMMUNITY CENTRE
STARTING MAY 4TH
(2:00-4:00)
For more information please make sure to visit http://www.passionforparkinsons.org/ and see what you can do, how you can get involved OR to sign up for FREE pickleball class by clicking the button below!
“We’re incredibly excited about this partnership and the positive impact it will have on our community in Burlington. Join us in playing pickleball for a purpose and help us support the Passion for Parkinson’s Foundation. ”
This part of the report comes from the people who organize the events:
 City notice at Ireland Park Ireland Park fiasco. Last year the city finally agreed to implement a ‘pilot program’ for pickleball, where the courts had a schedule.
This year, the city had decided to discontinue the pilot program. Why? It was working. It was working extremely well. We all know that anything new; as this pilot program would never be a smooth sailing and there would be wrinkles.
To everyone’s knowledge there were 2 instances where residents were not happy about this change and have filed a complaint with the City. We would hate to think that based on those two complaints it was enough for the City to discontinue the program instead of making it permanent.
The FIRST complaint came from a resident because when they showed up to play tennis, they were told to wait until pickleball hours were done and then were showed the ‘NOTICE’ board.
The SECOND complaint came from a small group of residents/pickleball players because when they showed up, during that morning there was a friendly tournament that took place between the lovely City to our east (Oakville). However, and without any hesitation those residents/players were given a preferred court of their choosing so they can play their games. Not to mention, they were happily offered to use the net that was already set up. We guess that was enough for them to file a complaint with the City.
In the last 3 weeks, we’ve sent out a short questionnaire that was further passed on to pickleball players and the ask was to further pass it on to anyone they knew that plays tennis.
The questionnaire had TWO (2) questions:
1.) Did the ‘pilot program’ – having dedicated pickleball hours at Ireland Park worked?
2.) Would you want this permanently implemented or removed.
– additional comment
We’ve received over 1,100 emails and the results were as follows:
1.) 93% – YES
2.) 96% – YES (permanent)
Most comments were; Leave it as permanent as now most players are aware of the court schedule.
Latest response from the City didn’t necessarily answer as to why the pilot program was discontinued, but had mention that there are 6 dedicated pickleball courts that are being added – 2 at Leighland Park (currently open for play) and 4 more at Palmer Park (completion of the courts is sometime in June/July).
Great and we are super thankful. However, since last fall when the courts closed for the season, I can only speculate that pickleball has grown 10+ -fold and there are ‘THAT’ many more pickleball players. If you know of any tennis players, please ask them as well and see what they say.
You can always chime in and remind them that Brant Hills courts, Millcroft courts and Sycamore Park courts are dedicated to tennis only courts AND there is an additional tennis court at Leighland Park as well. How all this makes sense, we’ll never know.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this and if you’re up for it, please feel free to send the City an email and maybe they will tell you a true reason for discontinuing the pilot program. Here are their contacts:
Denise Beard – Denise.Beard@burlington.ca
Rebecca Holmes – Rebecca.Holmes@burlington.ca
By Pepper Parr
May 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Today is by-election day for people who live in the Milton riding.
The northern part of Burlington are within the Milton boundary.
Elections are important; the people you elect determine the kind of province we will have. There are very clear choices.
Make your choice and your voice matter.
There are four candidate running for the seat: Galen Naidoo Harris, Zee Hamid, Katherine Cirlincione and Kyle Hutton.
Galen Naidoo Harris (Ontario Liberal)
Zee Hamid (PC)
Katherine Cirlincione (Ontario NDP)
Kyle Hutton (Ontario Greens)
By Pepper Parr
May 1, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Pam Damoff, MP for Oakville North Burlington announced today that”
Even great chapters come to an end, and it is time for this chapter of my career to end.
 Pam Damoff at her best. She wanted to serve and now finds that the environment in the House is such that she can’t. I will not be seeking re-election in the next election. While I know that I still have something to offer Canada, Ontario and my community, the hyper-partisan nature of politics today is not the environment that I see myself serving in. I continue to believe in public service and the power of each of us to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
I don’t know yet what the next chapter will be for me, but I do know that it will be in a role that will make a difference in the lives of others, as I have always striven to do. Sadly, I feel politics is no longer the best venue for me to do that in.
The current tone of politics, the drive for social media clips and likes, and the lack of respectful dialogue have drastically changed how we interact in parliament and in public. The tone and tenor of public discourse has deteriorated significantly, and I fear the loss of trust in public institutions we are seeing that is driven by misinformation and lies being spread by politicians and on social media.
 Being a Member of Parliament these days is a different job – not one Pam Damoff was cut out for. Unfortunately, the toxic drive for social media likes and clips among elected officials has hindered constructive conversations, exacerbated differences between us, and diminished our capacity to show empathy towards each other. The threats and misogyny I have experienced as a Member of Parliament are such that I often fear going out in public, and that is not a sustainable or healthy way to live.
Quite simply, politics is no longer for me and so it is time for me to turn the page on this chapter. Until the next election occurs, I will continue to represent Oakville North–Burlington and my office will continue to assist those in our community.
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