 By Staff
April 9th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
If you watched the eclipse from Burlington you got the full Monty.
Eric Stern and Denis Gibbons covered the Eclipse for the Gazette locally.
Stern was at Central Park where he estimates there were 200 plus people. “The kids at times didn’t seem all that interested – they wanted to play on the slides. But it was fascinating for th adults.”
Denis Gibbons, an experienced, season reporter covered the event at Spencer Smith Park where the crowds were amongst the biggest he has ever seen in Burlington since the gathering of people at the waterfront more than 30 celebrate a massive fireworks display more than 30 years ago to celebrate the twinning of Itabashi and Burlington.
 It was a very pleasant 73 degrees F in their hometown of Lima, Peru on Monday, so the Valderrama, Ascuna, Jauslin and Gallardo families, who now reside in Burlington, had to bundle up with the chilly 46F temperature by Lake Ontario to watch the eclipse. Photo by Denis Gibbons It would be difficult to put a number to the crowd. The took over the pier and stretched west along the Naval Promenade.
Monday’s eclipse of the sun could be viewed in the South Pacific, Mexico, the central United States and Eastern Canada, with Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park one of the prime watching spots.
It was no coincidence, then, that most of the spectators the Burlington Gazette reporter interviewed had international backgrounds.
While they now make Canada their home, viewers interviewed originated from far-off places like Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Peru and England.
 Carole Panton (left) and Carolyn Swinson met for the first time in high school in the town of Leek, Staffordshire, England, 68 years ago. They got together again to view the eclipse when Panton came from her new home in Halifax to visit Swinson in Toronto and the pair drove out to Burlington after reading in the newspaper what a nice town Burlington is. They are sisters in law. Photo Denis Gibbons Clouds covered the sky in the morning and early afternoon, but the sun started to break out, and people put their glasses on to see the eclipse.
The eclipse began in the early afternoon at 2:04 reaching full coverage at 3:18 p.m. and begin gradually dissipating, wrapping up by 4:31.
It was dark enough at the peak of the eclipse for the city street lights to come on.
 Keira Hansen (left) and Nicole Boudreau of Burlington take a dip in Lake Ontario every Sunday year-round, so nobody was surprised when they decided to view the eclipse from the little sandy beach at Spencer Smith Park. Asked what they thought of it, they said, “It was so cool.” And with the water temperature at 38 degrees F, they weren’t kidding! Photo Denis Gibbons A couple of daring women donned swimsuits and waded into the water at the little beach to view the eclipse, in spite of a frigid water temperature of 38 degrees F.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward recalled seeing a previous eclipse from North Carolina in 2017 and revealed that her son Nick is an avid astronomer.
No accurate figures on attendance were available, but most could not remember such a large crowd at the park since the City of Itabashi, Japan, staged the Friendship Fireworks more than 30 years ago.
 Immigrants from Sri Lanka, Kesinan Sabapathy and his wife Jayanthy Kesinan brought their two children Kaveen and Kirusiny all the way from Brampton after reading about the special eclipse viewing gathering online. Kesinan now works in building maintenance. Photo Denis Gibbons  Nine-year-old Jaeyune Kim took advantage of a PD day at Orchard Park elementary school to join his father Sunil with his telescope in Spencer Smith Park. Sunil was an amateur astronomer during his university days in Korea. He now works as a computer programmer in Canada. He said he was looking forward to the eclipse so much, he bought his special pair of glasses more than a year ago. Photo Denis Gibbons When the total eclipse did take place everything was very quiet.
 An eerie quiet settled on the crowd. Photo Denis Gibbons
 By Daniel Fraser
April 10th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Burlington from the air. Burlington has always had a diverse economy and embraced many types of industries to continue its success and economic growth. It’s in a prime location within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, and its economic diversity is shown by the fact that there isn’t one business that dominates employment or GDP.
While various industries, such as business services, transportation, electronics, and food processing, have had a long-standing in the area, we are also seeing new business opportunities thrive, with some interesting convergences. Two of these are video gaming and casino entertainment and below, I’ll take a look at how these industries are growing and the opportunities Burlington residents have for these forms of recreational entertainment.
The Rise in Popularity of Video Gaming and Casino Entertainment
So, is there a convergence in Burlington and are we seeing increased activity in these industries? The evidence certainly points that way, with a range of related businesses continuing to experience success, including online casinos, esports, brick-and-mortar casinos, and gaming venues.
Increased Interest in eSports and Online Casinos
Burlington residents have access to loads of online casinos, where they can play slots, table games, live dealer games, and more. But not all sites are designed the same, for example, payment methods can vary from site to site¾with platforms like Daily Spins Casino accepting a variety of digital and cryptocurrencies, while others might have purchasable currency from their online store. Always seeking to expand and embrace new trends in technology, there is always a constant influx of new casinos trying to carve a space out for themselves online.
 Some of the events are huge – do they have the potential to become Olympic level events? The same can be said for esports too, and while esports as a career is becoming more viable for the younger generation of Canadians, Burlington residents also have access to a range of esports betting sites that are one of the most direct convergences of video gaming and casino entertainment. Here, you can place wagers on popular games like CS:GO, League of Legends, and StarCraft 2.
Although laws are still developing for online gambling activity in Canada, there’s certainly been a huge development in this industry. From this, as you will see below, other offshoots and establishments are also being created that use the principles of online casinos, esports, and video gaming to create hybrid entertainment for Burlington residents.
Brick-and-mortar Casinos In and Around Burlington
While online casinos and esports are becoming a major source of fun for Canadians, so is the availability of brick-and-mortar casinos. Indeed, Burlington and the surrounding towns and cities have a plethora of brick-and-mortar establishments if you prefer a physical experience as opposed to an online one. These include
Elements Casino, Brantford
Elements Casino, Mohawk
Elements Casino, Flamboro
Delta Bingo & Gaming, Burlington
Rocky Mountain Jackpot, Burlington
Gate Casino, Burlington
Rama Gaming House, Mississauga
The Elements Casino brand is one of the most popular in the area, with three establishments around Burlington. These casinos are known for their huge table game floors, plus their food and drink options. You can make a trip to the casino a day out and they are perfect for things like birthday celebrations.
Burlington itself has a handful of venues, too, including Delta Bingo & Gaming, Rocky Mountain Jackpot, and Gate Casino. Many of these establishments also feature video game elements, with their games and the inclusion of classic arcade games, and this is another area where we see an overlap in the industries.
Gaming Opportunities In and Around Burlington
Video gaming, arcade games, and games utilizing new technologies are also seeing a boom in Burlington. There are some incredibly interesting establishments that utilize features from casino entertainment, such as bright lights, epic sound effects, and immersive experiences, together with elements of video and arcade gaming. Three particular examples spring to mind
- Gametime Social, Burlington
- Activate, Burlington
- Zero Latency, Burlington
Gametime Social is a huge, dedicated venue complete with a bar and restaurant, but the main feature is the epic games floor. Here, you can find an endless array of classic arcade games, slot machines, and more. It’s an assault on the senses, but in a good way, and there’s also pool and 9-ball tables too.
In contrast, Zero Latency in Burlington gives customers a free-roam virtual reality experience. The huge room gives you freedom of movement, which is often lacking in home VR setups, and you can embark on amazing VR experiences with up to seven of your friends simultaneously. This shows the adoption of new gaming and casino technologies in Burlington.
 Zero Latency in Burlington gives customers a free-roam virtual reality experience. Could These Industries Continue to Thrive in Burlington and Ontario?
As you can see, casino gaming, video gaming, and esports are booming in this region of Canada, and Burlington residents have an amazing range of brick-and-mortar casinos, video gaming establishments, and online gaming opportunities.
We expect this to only improve and develop further as technologies like VR and online casinos become more widely available. Because of this, we can also expect more overlap between these different industries as they do share many similarities.
By Staff
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
How did Burlington react to the eclipse?
A crowd too large to count descended on Spencer Smith Park
A picture is worth 1000 words – which the reporting team is putting together before they call it a day.
A sneak peak at what they have to tell you.
 Can you see yourself in this incredible gathering? Photo by Denis Gibbon
 By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Me and my eclipse.
Well, I didn’t feel any emotional change.
It never got dark where I was – up in Mountsburg, a couple of km north of Waterdown.
 Pepper Parr – taking in an eclipse. It didn’t get dark but the moon did cover the sun. The chickens were walking around picking works, the clouds seemed to stand still, the temperature lowered and if I wore my eclipse glasses I could watch the moon covering the sun – but it didn’t get dark.
The coyotes and the foxes that roam the property were nowhere to be seen. The deer that show up on occasion were nowhere to be seen either.
But there was an eclipse and people did have their experience. Mine was kind of bland.
The Scotch that was poured was as good as the wine and Ray does know how to BBQ a steak – so the day was not a total write off.
My colleagues elsewhere in the city had different experiences.
By Staff
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Premier made it really clear:
 How many trees are we going to have to cut down to keep the Premier happy on this one? “I’m requesting that you take immediate steps to reverse the decision to remove paper bags from the LCBO’s retail locations,” the premier wrote Sunday in a terse letter to George Soleas, president and CEO of the company.”
He added:“At a time when many Ontario families are already struggling to make ends meet, every additional expense counts. That includes charging customers for reusable bags instead of the free paper bags that the LCBO previously offered,” wrote Ford.
“This change has left people stuck openly carrying alcohol in public when leaving a LCBO store,” added the premier, a teetotaler.
LCBO wasn’t able to say how soon the public would have those paper bags available – but you can bet it won’t be very long.
By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
This is something new.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward The Mayor declaring a Conflict of Interest on a matter related to a Notice of Trespass.
A Notice of Trespass is the document the city uses to keep someone out of the council chamber and away from public events that take place on public property.
The matter is going to be held in a CLOSED session – so we will never know what the Mayor might be up to.
The issuing of the Notices is not really public.
By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The decision to retrench and restructure Community Development Halton got off to a very good start with the decision to bring Rishia Burke back into the fold.
Closing down the large office in Burlington and reducing it to not much more than a mailing address and opening up a small office in Action got the organization out of the Burlington centric lens that wasn’t all that healthy.
The organization is adding to its staff with the employment of a social planner.
 Steven Barrow, social planner now with Community Development Halton Steven Barrow, comes to CDH with training as a social planner and oral historian, with strong community-based research experience. Steven also brings a community development background and is a community advocate with a passion for supporting individuals and community groups.
Steven comes to CDH with training as a social planner and oral historian, with strong community-based research experience. Steven also brings a community development background and is a community advocate with a passion for supporting individuals and community groups.
He can be reached by email at sbarrow@cdhalton.ca
We look forward to the impact Steven can have.
By Milos Stojanovic
April 9th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
When you take a deeper look at top online casinos you can see that they are a digital evolution of traditional gambling establishments. They offer the same amount and versatility of games, if not more than traditional casinos, to players worldwide using the good old internet. With these online platforms, all of us enjoy the convenience and flexibility which in this day in age is more than important. They allow us to enjoy gambling thrills from the comfort of our homes or on the go.
Besides sheer entertainment online casinos, believe it or not, contribute to both social and economic spheres. They make room for community engagement in this branch through sponsorships and charitable initiatives all of that while raising economic growth by opening new job positions, paying more taxes and working on constant innovations.
 Gaming is now a sport that brings together who are both very smart and very committed to an activity that is good clean fun. This business isn’t without any challenges though, and some of the ones that constantly plague this business are regulatory complications and the ever-rising concern when it comes to gambling addictions. The more serious casinos implement things like very harsh regulations, increase priority when it comes to consumer protection and promote responsible gambling. These few things help them reach the top and stay there as well as increase their social status and acceptance.
As you can see from this brief intro, in this day in age, these casinos are operating as an important part of the entertainment industry. Who would guess that we would discuss about their “significant” impact on society and the economy? Well, we have prepared for that and this article will try to decipher this complicated relationship between online casinos and social and economic spheres.
Social Benefits
- More access
When it comes to social benefits one is more obvious than anything else. With just a simple registration you can access online casinos all over. This means that these services transcend geographical barriers all while offering easy access to gambling entertainment for everyone worldwide, including those located in remote.
- Responsible gambling efforts
As already mentioned more reputable online casinos always look to apply strict responsible gambling measures. Those include anything from self-exclusion, deposit limits and access to support services. With these, they are trying to get rid of that addiction stigma and help those who want to be helped and all that by promoting safe and healthy gambling practices among players.
- Community presence
Since these businesses make a lot of money and since they hold their community opinion very important you will very often see them actively engage those communities with versatile initiatives. They can opt for many things but the most popular ones are sponsoring local events, donating and promoting charities and developing partnerships with organizations dedicated to social welfare.
Economic Benefits
- Job Creation
 The Gaming industry employs tens of thousands; from the people who are in the casino to those who are behind the scenes creating the software and the hardware infrastructure. When you mention an online service you immediately think of one person sitting behind a laptop or a PC moderating and looking over everything. You couldn’t be more wrong. Online casinos open up so many job roles from those in customer service, software development, and marketing to regulatory compliance positions and much more. This is their sure way of boosting economic stability by creating job opportunities.
- Tax Revenue Generation
Believe it or not, one of the biggest revenues Governments gather is from online casino operations. This money then goes to a lot of different public funds that the Government deems important to allow normal operations. Some of that tax income that the Government shares usually goes into healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.
- Stimulated economic growth
Since the business we are dissecting today operates in highly dynamic surroundings, this means that they constantly have to adapt, develop and revolutionize. This means that they will stimulate the economic growth of the country of their origin and more simply by innovating, attracting investment, and supporting entrepreneurs in their niche. This as a result fuels entire economic development.
Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
- Regulations
Regulations are a thing that online casinos battle all the time. When we state this we do not mean battle them because they want to tax them more or make them more transparent, no. they battle because there is a fine line that needs to be located when innovation and safety of consumer interests and data is considered. Implementing very strict and robust regulations is important if they want to stop addictions, identity thefts, bank account thefts and other sorts of cybercrime that may occur.
- Consumer protection
This is imperative if you are a serious business in any branch. The fact that this is an online world makes the burden fallen onto online casinos heavier. They have to have top-notch and broad consumer protection measures that include age verification tools, responsible gambling acts and protections as well as very strict anti-money laundering measures.
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 There is help for those that xxx Public Awareness
This is another thing that increases their presence in public and makes them good in the public eye. It all starts with battling addictions in general with a focus on gambling, logically, and it can span through anything else that they see fit. They can organize education or start funds for these causes, and all that to properly address all the concerns related to online gambling.
By Staff
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The Eclipse is not the only big deal on Monday.
Getting to the point you want to be at to watch the eclipse just might be the challenge.
More than a million people were being projected to arrive in Niagara Falls. GO transit has laid on additional trains making those trains 12 cars long.
GO transit has added extra trips added to the Lakeshore West line from Union Station to Niagara Falls with trains scheduled to depart at 9:02 a.m., 10:02 a.m. and 11:02 a.m. Trips are also being added and modified on the Lakeshore West line from Niagara Falls to Union Station. Return trips from Niagara Falls set to depart at 4:24 p.m., 4:54 p.m., 7:21 p.m. and 10:51 p.m.
What might this mean to traffic on the 400 roads? The much-anticipated eclipse on Monday could mean heavy congestion for travellers in and out of Toronto, Niagara, Hamilton and other southern Ontario cities and towns.
 Is this what traffic is going to look like today? People are being asked NOT to try taking pictures of the eclipse from their car while driving. NOT to pull over and take pictures. The objective is to keep traffic moving – and the traffic load is expected to be much bigger during the half hour either side of the eclipse.
Drivers are advised to not — under any circumstances — stop on the highway to marvel at the celestial phenomenon. Don’t pull over to the shoulder, don’t leave your vehicle. Just turn on your headlights in the reduced lighting and continue at a safe speed.
“We’re reminding all drivers to obey the laws, and only stop or park where it’s legal and safe to do so,” the ministry said.
 Is Pelee Island going to be the best place in the province to experience the eclipse? The Niagara Region and Pelee Island are expected to experience heavy traffic.
 Is the CN Tower the place to be to best experience the eclipse? Is there a special deal on being in the CN Tower? Reservations are no longer being taken.
Plan ahead and consider options such as carpooling or taking public transit.”
The ministry of transportation said its working to co-ordinate highway closures and detours, and is liaising with ONroutes highway rest areas about the potential need to prepare for large crowds.
VIA Rail trips between Toronto and Niagara on Monday’s eclipse day were sold out well in advance, even after the company added 50 extra seats per trip, on top of the regular 150.
Train operations are not impacted by the eclipse and no unusual congestion is expected since locomotives are well equipped to block out the sun.
Going to be interesting at the end of the day to see how we behave as a society.
 By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
So this is how they handled it.
Last November Burlington Green delegated to City Council asking for $50,000 in the way of support..
 If you want to count what Burlington Green has don for the city – start at about 500 – this is the woman that moved the needle. Amy Schnurr, Executive Director BurlingtonGreen There wasn’t much in the way of discussion at the time. A number of Gazette readers pointed out that not for profits were not entitled to grants. The policy setting out that position was due for review in 2023 but wasn’t given any attention.
With the ask in front of them – Council had to make a decision.
BurlingtonGreen has Holy Grail status in this city – a status that is much deserved.
There are some that feel the Gazette is gunning for BurlingtonGreen. The record will show that we have given them more ink than any other media.
The concern we were focusing on was the practice of taking care of your friends that we were seeing at Council meetings. Everyone from the City Manager down on the Staff side and every member of Council looked for some way to give BurlingtonGreen the funds they needed.
The Staff report was an embarrassment – it failed to look at the risks and didn’t look for something unique.
 They show up – every time. The need at BurlingtonGreen was real. Funding from the federal and provincial levels had not dried up but it wasn’t providing what Burlington Green felt they needed.
They had also gone as far as they could go with the Trillium Fund Foundation.
The city decided to:
Approve one time funding for 2024 in the maximum amount of $62,000 from the Green Initiatives Reserve Fund (we were not aware that there was such a fund) as a fee for services provided by BurlingtonGreen
Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the City and BurlingtonGreen outlining the services to be provided in 2024, including performance measures in form satisfactory to the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel; and
Consider an ongoing fee for services approach with BurlingtonGreen in the amount of 62,000 per calendar year during the Mayor’s 2025 budget process.
We would like to see that list of services and how they determine the dollar value of each service. The details do matter.
More importantly is the policy environment – and that appears to have been neglected. Policy is the reason Council exists – they look to Staff to come forward with reports and they determine what the policy is – and if the policy needs a revision and perhaps an upgrade then Council turns to Staff for input.
Clearly the funding environment has changed – Climate Change is a fact of life. The question is: How are we going to deal with it on a person to person on the ground level?
 Planting, planting, planting – it is in the tens of thousands.  This is where the rubber hits the road for the BurlingtonGreen people. They show up and get the job done. That is where BurlingtonGreen has led the way. They literally create events and occasions to improve the environment which is the critical part of getting a handle on Climate Change. And, most importantly, they have a membership that shows up and delivers. People who decide they want to run for public could learn a lot about organization from this group.
Their Green Up – Clean Up is not just a public service it brings out people in the hundreds to do the job and celebrate what was done. On one occasion a local hospitality organization showed up with their BBQ’s and fed hundreds in Civic Square – an occasion for which they should have been given a Key to the City.
How the new funding approach plays out will call for transparency and accountability. This Council and Staff didn’t do all that well on this one.
By Staff
April 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 The shoes are the giveaway. No idea if there was any music or if he had an audience. Cant tell you who he is – but he appears to be having a great time.
Sun shining and if you check out those shoes you know this man takes his dancing seriously.
Or, perhaps the eclipse that will darken the city mid day has him wanting to say something with his feet.
Seen and reported by a regular Gazette reader
 By Pepper Parr
April 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
He “overlooked” an email linked to the $8.28-billion Greenbelt scandal that was transmitted on private server accounts instead of government servers.
 Marit Stiles, Leader of the NDP opposition in the Legislature, filed the complaint with the Integrity Commissioner. She will not be pleased but probably not surprised. Ontario’s ethics watchdog has cleared Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff of wrongdoing after the discovery of an “overlooked” email brought to his attention in a complaint from NDP Leader Marit Stiles to Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake
 The RCMP are not as likely to take the explanation Patrick Sackville gave the Integrity Commissioner at the same face value should they have a reason to call him in for a conversation. In response to the complaint J. David Wake said he has “accepted” Patrick Sackville’s explanation of how his Oct. 17, 2022 email exchange was missed.
“I have concluded that the Oct. 17 email sent from Mr. Amato to Mr. Sackville’s personal email in the circumstances I have outlined does not support a finding that Patrick Sackville knew about the specific removal criteria for lands from the Greenbelt or the properties selected for removal until he was briefed with others, as he testified, on Oct. 27,” Wake wrote earlier this week.
The Integrity Commissioner said “it is unfortunate that this email was not retrieved in accordance with the request for documents I made to Mr. Sackville … I have accepted his explanation as to how it was overlooked.”
Sackville, Ford’s chief of staff, told Wake it “was an oversight on my part” that the missive fell through the cracks because it was to his personal account rather than his government email.
Sackville said: When asked for all documents relevant to the issues you are investigating, I conducted a diligent search of my records that would be responsive to your request. However, I did not locate the email from Mr. Amato in making that search,” said Sackville.
 Patrick Sackville was highly recommended when he was made the Premier’s Chief of Staff. Described as one of the smartest people around. A question that might be asked is: How many emails did he receive on his private server – and where did David Amato get the Sackville personal email address? “In conducting some due diligence related to freedom of information requests, I later became aware of this email and, consistent with my obligations, provided it to you expeditiously,” he said, referring to the message being found last December.
“I do not conduct government business on my personal email, and would not have expected or anticipated such an email.”
Wake said “it is entirely plausible that he would have given primary attention to the hundreds of daily emails he receives to his government email address and that he may have neglected to be attentive to his personal emails.”
Stiles, who obtained the documents through a freedom of information request, argued the email contradicted testimony given under oath to the integrity commissioner last year.
In the message from Amato to Sackville, the ministerial chief of staff shared a “list of criteria for removals” of 7,400 acres from the two-million-acre environmentally sensitive Greenbelt around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
These include “infrastructure services,” such as proximity to roads, gas and hydro lines and water mains, police and fire services.
The email also listed “potential offsets” such as the Paris Galt Moraine, “green space our government has decided not to move on” as well as “options to go larger depending on executive interest.”
At issue is the timing of the email, which is at odds with testimony made under oath to Wake for his Aug. 30 report on the Greenbelt affair.
“Members of the premier’s staff also told us they were not involved in the selection of properties,” the integrity commissioner wrote last summer.
 David Amato was Chef of Staff to a Minister who failed to pay attention to what was going on within his department. That cost Steve Clark his job. Ideally it will cost him his seat in the next provincial election. “Mr. Sackville said he did not discuss specific properties to be removed or removal criteria with Mr. Amato until the briefing that occurred on Oct. 27, 2022,” he noted at the time.
“Mr. Sackville recalled being first briefed about the Greenbelt project at a meeting facilitated by the cabinet office on Oct. 27, 2022. He told me that he recalled the intentions of the policy were discussed and that it should be ‘programmatic,’ meaning that it should be something that could be repeated and made standard.”
However, that was 10 days after the Oct. 17 email in which criteria for removal of the lands from the Greenbelt were addressed. The changes were finally announced publicly on Nov. 4, 2022.
Sackville and Amato are reported to have declined to comment when contacted by the Star on Thursday.
 Premier Ford said he didn’t know a thing – for that he should lose his job. It is his job to know. Ford has maintained he knew nothing about the removal of 15 parcels of land from the Greenbelt, which were estimated to be worth $8.28 billion to property owners.
In separate reports last summer, the auditor general and integrity commissioner found certain developers with Tory connections were “favoured.”
Under pressure, Ford cancelled the land swap on Sept. 21.
The deal is now being investigated by the RCMP.
The public should demand that the Mounties live up to the once rock solid reputation – they always get their man.
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
April 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Burlington library declares that sung or slammed, written or recited, poetry declares who we are, how we feel, and what we think, dream, and aspire to be.
They are inviting you to immerse yourself in the power of words at the 3rd annual Burlington Lyrics & Poetry Festival!
National Poetry Month salutes poems and poets, songs and songwriters with an exciting schedule of performances, workshops, and activities for all ages.
Register HERE for the event. Some events are already filled.
By Staff
April 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Check out these announcements from the province:
$600,000 to Sault St Marie for reaching their housing targets.
$37.5 million to Ottawa for Progress Toward 2023 Housing Target
Greater Sudbury with $1.52 Million for Exceeding 2023 Housing Targets
Ontario Rewards Hamilton with More Than $17.5 Million for Exceeding 2023 Housing Targets
Ontario Rewards Peterborough $1.88 Million for Exceeding 2023 Housing Target
 How come no check like this for Burlington? There were others.
You don’t see Burlington on that list do you?
All Burlington got from the Premier was a public spanking he gave the Mayor for not meeting the pledge to build 29,000 new residential units by 2031.
It seems obvious that the target just can’t be met.
Oh – and the head of the planning department no longer works for the city.
The Mayor will of course refer to what we report as “misinformation”.
Just the facts folks.
By Staff
April 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Let’s Grow Burlington’s Tree Canopy Together!
BurlingtonGreen and the City of Burlington Forestry Department are organizing a community tree planting to take place from 9:30 am to noon on Saturday, April 20th at Pathfinder Park.
Together we will plant 500 native trees PLUS some lucky participants will each win a beautiful tree to plant at their Burlington homes!
Advance registration is required. Limited space is available. Click HERE to register
By Staff
April 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The total eclipse is going to be around for another 600 million years, give or take.
So catch the experience while you still can.
Source: Sabine Stanley, a Bloomberg distinguished professor in Earth and planetary sciences at Johns Hopkins University, is the author of “What’s Hidden Inside Planets?”
 By Eric Stern
April 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
On March 30th Mayor Meed Ward wrote the following commentary piece in the Spectator:
“It is truly unfortunate to see the misinformation, speculation and rumour circulating in the community on these matters, and more discouraging to see some of those same rumours repeated in a column in The Spec on March 28.”
On March 28th, Spectator columnist Joan Little had asked a simple question:
“Why is all this happening at once? Because of the power a mayor has to hire and fire?”
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “It is truly unfortunate to see the misinformation, speculation and rumour circulating in the community on these matters…” In the mayor’s commentary, she makes no attempt to answer Little’s question or to provide any information to stop the speculation and rumours surrounding multiple senior leadership departures at city hall. The mayor goes on to state “our residents deserve accurate and fact-based news and opinion coverage”.
Given that the City of Burlington employs people with serious communication skills it’s really surprising that, quoting the mayor, “misinformation, speculation and rumour” cannot simply be explained by someone, anyone, from the city providing “accurate and fact-based” information.
If Brynn Nheiley and Sheila Jones were fired, the severance and legal costs will be in the six-figure range for each one of them. Do taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent?
As a taxpayer, I have to wonder if the communications department is nothing but a taxpayer-funded PR organization for the mayor.
Something unusual is happening in politics and there are echoes in history. Napolean owned two military newspapers, allowing him to directly communicate with the military and public. After coming to power, he closed down 60 of the 73 newspapers in Paris.
Germany, in 1923, had 467 radio listeners. By 1932, there were over four million paying radio subscribers in Germany. Hitler was able to use this new technology to directly communicate with the public.
With changes in technology come political shifts.
We are at the beginning of the social media age. A new technology that allows our leaders to directly communicate with the public. Both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre make extensive use of social media.
 Eric Stern: “I am suggesting that without the balance of editors and reporters, the direct messages from our politicians and their PR professionals have the potential to be misleading.” I’m not suggesting either will become dictators. I am suggesting that without the balance of editors and reporters, the direct messages from our politicians and their PR professionals have the potential to be misleading. Should we be looking at these direct messages from our politicians with a healthy dose of skepticism? Should we check the information with other sources, including newspapers and TV news and form our own opinions?
Newspapers were new in the late 1700s, radio was new in the 1930s. Do we place more trust in what we read or hear from a new technology source simply because it’s new?
Quoting the University of Chicago Press, “in the case of Donald Trump, Twitter seems to have been one of the key enablers for his meteoric rise to power, rather than the means to challenge or take away that power”.
Kellyanne Conway, Advisor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts”.
As a taxpayer, I expect facts.
Mayor Meed Ward, or her communications team, posts directly to LinkedIn, FaceBook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Threads and on https://mariannemeedward.ca/
The startling lack of information about the recent departures from city hall is a form of misinformation. With all of this ability to directly communicate with city staff and the public Mayor Meed Ward should be using information to counter misinformation instead of accusing Joan Little of spreading rumours.
| Are strong-mayor powers coupled with a PR machine what the residents of Burlington want? Please help send a message to Mayor Meed Ward by signing Blair Smith’s “Restoration of Democracy at Burlington City Council” petition on change.org Click HERE
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By Pepper Parr
April 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
There are photo ops and then there are PHOTO OPS.
They are part of the business for every politician once they are elected.
Do enough of them and public profile becomes so entrenched that anyone running against a council member has an uphill battle.
On March 27th Mayor Meed Ward planned a meeting with residents at LaSalle Towers in ward 1. The Mayor traditionally invites the ward Councillor to take part. So there is ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith sitting next to the Mayor as she takes questions from residents.
 Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith joins Mayor Meed Ward at a drop in event. Few in the room would have been aware that Galbraith was one of three council members that signed a Motion asking the Mayor to relinquish the Strong Mayor powers she now uses. Galbraith may not have the stomach for this this kind of politics. He does look decidedly uncomfortable doesn’t he? What few of the residents would be aware of is that Galbraith was one of three members of Council that signed a Motion asking the Mayor to relinquish the Strong Mayor powers that were granted last July 1st.
Mayor Meed Ward worked closely with Galbraith when she created the Red Carpet – Red Tape committee – he had come to be a Poster Boy for that Committee and the Mayor made sure that Galbraith got all the credit she could shovel his way.
 By James Portside
April 6th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Third of a three part series on what city staff are paid and the pension program they benefit from.
City manager Tim Commisso will be dancing his way into retirement.
For anyone interested in exploring the Ontario Sunshine list the official website for 2023 is: https://www.ontario.ca/public-sector-salary-disclosure/2023/all-sectors-and-seconded-employees/
 The benefits information provided on the above website refers to taxable benefits only. Municipal employees in Ontario, who work 32 hours a week or more, are automatically enrolled in the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) pension plan. The city and the employee pay into this plan.
These are the OMERS contribution rates for people who want to retire at age 55, or older, with at least 35 years of service. Age plus years of service must equal at least 90 to receive the maximum pension benefit.
Someone earning $66,600 contributes $5,994 a year to their pension plan with the city matching this contribution. The employee portion reduces take home pay. People at the $66,600 income level or lower contribute less to their pension so they will have more money for today’s expenses. When someone with a defined benefit pension plan retires and starts collecting their pension the pension payments are indexed to inflation. The private sector has largely switched to defined contribution plans because inflation is unpredictable.
OMERS will raise contribution levels to cover any shortfalls in the plan, with employers (cities funded by taxpayers) paying half the cost of any increases.The “salary paid” number in the sunshine list does not include the cost of non-taxable benefits such as pension plan contributions. The 2023 Burlington sunshine list data shows 59 employees with “Manager” in their title. The average annual income for this group is $137,544. Contrasting this with the private sector the employment website Indeed.com reports that the average manager in Toronto has a base salary of $95,154. The city contributes 14.6% to each manager’s pension plan or an average of $20,081. This brings the average cost to taxpayers, for each manager, including the pension benefit, up to $157,626.Let’s say our fictional average manager contributes just over $20,000 a year to their pension plan with the city matching this contribution bringing the total contribution to over $40,000 a year.
Our fictional manager is 40 years old and was just promoted onto the management team after 15 years of service with the city. To keep things simple, I’ll pretend there is no inflation or salary increases so that the pension contributions continue at the $40,000 a year level for 25 more years and that amounts to $1 million. At least $200,000 would have accumulated in the first 15 years bringing the city and individual contributions to $1.2 million but hold on, like any pension plan, OMERS invests this money and, over the last 10 years, has earned an average annual return of 7.3%. Starting retirement savings early, adding $40,000 a year from age 40 to 65, along with consistent compounding annual returns of 7.3%, brings the value of our average manager’s pension savings to around $4 million.
Albert Einstein said “compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world” and you can really see how solid money management by the OMERs team pays off.OMERs uses a formula to calculate what someone’s actual annual pension amount will be. The formula uses the average of an individual’s best five consecutive years of earnings and is explained in detail in the members handbook (https://members.omers.com/member-handbook). After 40 years with the city, our fictional manager will receive an inflation protected pension of $92,035.20 a year, every year, for the rest of his or her life.For the city’s top earners, the pension benefit becomes quite large.
 Staff and members of City Council visiting Burlington’s Sister City, Itabashi, Japan take part in a parade with the Mayor strutting alongside the Itabashi Mayor. Burlington City Manager Tim Commisso, center, shows some fancy footwork as well. For example, last year the city paid $44,091.12 into Tim Commisso’s pension plan. According to LinkedIn between Burlington and Thunder Bay Commisso has over 34 years of municipal service. Based on the limited information in the sunshine list Commisso will receive an inflation protected pension of at least $177,679.65 per year, every year, for the rest of his life.We now understand why this man is dancing.
Cities rarely lay people off, you really have to make an effort to be fired, and the pension plan benefit is a significant perk over the long term.
Kudos to all the permanent employees at the city on an excellent career choice.
Links to part 1 and part 2 of the series:
Part 2 https://burlingtongazette.ca/the-significant-salary-increases-during-2023-are-not-the-only-problem-facing-the-city-the-revolt-on-the-part-of-a-majority-of-council-members-is-very-serious/
Part 1: https://burlingtongazette.ca/sunshine-list-number-of-people-making-over-100000-increased-by-16-from-393-names-to-457/
Disclaimers:1 – OMERs contributions are calculated on base salary excluding overtime. The sunshine list just shows total earnings.2 – The calculations in this article have been double checked but only OMERs members have access to the official OMERs pension calculation website. 3 – Tim Commisso’s pension calculations are based on the standard OMERs calculations. Commisso’s contract with the city may have other pension stipulations.
Jim Portside has lived in Burlington for much of his life and has watched the city change and grow over the years. With over 1,000 people working for the city there is a lot going on. As a now retired, successful business owner, Jim is interested in exploring and sharing some of what our local government is working on. You can reach Jim by emailing Jim.Portside@gmail.com
 By Staff
April 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Jim Thomson took exception with the way the city used or failed to use the Procedural by law appropriately.
 Council took exception to how Jim Thomson chose to delegate and issued a No Trespass notice which limits what he can do to virtual appearances. Thomson is big, BIG on detail. He filed a complaint with the City’s Ombudsman and waited.
He got a response: a 50 page report in which the Ombudsman basically agreed with him
The Gazette will wade through the report and let you know what they had to say.
The City appears to be taking the report seriously.
In a report to Council from the City Manager we learn that:
Having reviewed in detail and considered the findings of the ADRO Investigation report, the City Manager recommends that Committee accept the findings of the report and that the City Clerk report back in Q2 with recommended changes to the City’s Procedural By-law to address any outstanding procedural by-law compliance issues outlined in the detailed report.
As Committee is aware and as noted in the detailed Investigation report, the Thursday council meetings that were set up in 2022/23 to deal primarily with time sensitive items have been discontinued in the 2024 Council meeting calendar.
 Jim Thomson delegating: Keeps a tight eye on what Council does. The City Manager also acknowledges that the City is committed to continuous improvement with respect to adherence and effectiveness of the PBL. The new City Clerk working closely with department staff, as well as the City Manager, Executive Director of Community Relations and Engagement and the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation.
Council, will undertake a full review of the identified non-compliance items and report back by the end of Q2 with recommendations for changes to the PBL as well as any report process changes on how Committee and Council meeting are conducted.
Thomson maintains that “my complaint was justified, but there are no legal consequences under the Municipal Act.”
He adds that the item is added to the Council agenda at the last minute so that people can’t digest and prepare delegations.
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