 By Stephen White
October 25th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It seemed to take forever to tabulate the results of yesterday’s municipal election but the outcomes are finally known. Personally, I was a bit surprised by the margin of victory of several incumbents. I thought in a couple of races, particularly Wards 4 & 6, that it would be a lot tighter. The level of voter turnout was disappointing, but not altogether unexpected.
There are, I think, three things that continue to resonate for me when evaluating the results. First, being an incumbent provides a huge added advantage. It is hard to estimate the “bump” that being an incumbent provides but I would estimate it is somewhere between 10 and 15%.
Second, if someone plans on running for office waiting till late August to “throw your hat in the ring” is far too late, especially where there is an incumbent. Incumbents have name recognition, visibility and profile. Unless a municipal contender has strong presence in the community, a war chest of $10-20K, and a team of 25 to 50 dedicated volunteers, their chances of victory are slim to non-existent.
The third realization is that in a race where there are more than three candidates you might as well just anoint the incumbent. Vote splitting works to the advantage of the office holder. We’ve seen this reality play out so many times in the past, yet sadly, many candidates will hang in there to the bitter end rather than support another challenger with better prospects of success. Lest one doubt the salience of this observation just look at the HDSB results in Wards 4, and 3 & 6, or even the Ward 4 and 5 Councillor races, for confirmation.
I spent a lot of time this year working on the Oakville municipal election. Unlike Burlington, the long-time incumbent Mayor barely eked out a victory over his challenger with a margin of less than 1,000 votes. A few Councillors were defeated. I attended one Candidates’ meeting in Ward 1 and the meeting room was packed half an hour before the event started. Everywhere I went Oakville residents were talking about the election and the issues. People were deeply concerned about the future direction of their community, and beneath the surface there was a palpable anger at the direction the Town was heading.
By contrast, Burlington’s municipal election barely elicited a yawn. In spite of the unceasing drama at City Hall over the past four years, including many contentious development applications and several integrity and conflict of interest investigations, many residents I talked to simply weren’t interested. One resident I talked to Monday night completely forgot to vote.
How can two similar communities exhibit such widely differing approaches to municipal political engagement? I submit there are three things at play. First, in Oakville candidates can post election signs on public property. This sounds like a small thing, but in truth it provides challengers with an opportunity to promote their candidacy, build awareness, and level the playing field. Simply, they aren’t solely dependent on friendly homeowners who will support their election bid by agreeing to post a sign. Some may contend it is “pollution”, but since they get taken down after election day the environmental impact is probably marginal.
Second, Oakville’s election structure has one local Town Councillor and a Local/Regional Councillor. Having two representatives for each ward provides more prospective avenues for aspiring candidates to seek and win election. It also provides an additional conduit through which residents can express their opinions and make themselves heard. If politics is about access and involvement, this type of structure has its merits.
Third, Oakville has several vibrant and active Residents and Neighbourhood Associations. I checked a few years ago and I counted fifteen. These groups have been active for several years on multiple fronts, and not just re-zoning and development applications. I’ve lived in Ward 5 in Burlington for nearly five decades, and the last time I checked into my local ratepayers’ association it was essentially moribund.
Despite what Doug Ford and his Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark may think, municipal government is important. It is the level of public administration that is closest to the everyday needs of constituents. On any given day more residents will interact with, or be affected by, local issues and municipal services and programs, than they will by provincial or federal agendas. That said, one would naturally suppose that more residents would be interested in opportunities to opine about, engage with, or have a say in, who their elected representatives will be.
The Mayor and Burlington Councillors will be returning to City Hall shortly. I wish them well. The next four years will be difficult. Development will again be the predominant issue. An intransigent provincial government that is hell bent on stuffing its intensification agenda down residents’ throats doesn’t augur well for a community struggling to maintain its history and identity while dealing with issues of housing affordability. Add to that budgetary challenges, worsening traffic congestion, and upgrading existing infrastructure, and the challenges are enormous.
How Burlington Council will balance these competing interests will be interesting. They will have to get hit the ground running. Hopefully, they get down to work a lot faster than it took to compile Monday night’s election results.
Stephen While is a Human Resources consultant who also teaches at Sheridan College. He has been an active observer and critic of civic life in the Region
 By Pepper Parr
October 25th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a long shot.
But when Andre Grebenc explained to a podcaster that the job she was doing as chair was exactly the same job would be doing at the Region had she been elected.
And to a considerable degree she was right.
 Andrea Grebenc pulled in a very respectable vote – had it been a two way battle she could ave beaten Carr But the public didn’t see it that way and, truth be told, they didn’t know very much about the woman.
 Gary Carr on the campaign trail  Andrea Grebenc did well given the situation she was in – a future candidate? Too early to tell Grebenc is not going to fade away – she has some comments to make on how she was received as a female candidate – it isn’t a pretty picture
Carr didn’t really campaign – he didn’t have to. Any respect he might have had for the process went out the window when he chose not to take part in any of the regional events for the candidates.
The Gazette has never understood why Jane McKenna sought the job. We may never understand why she didn’t run again for the provincial seat when that election took place: Burlington was a sure thing for any Conservative candidate.
There is more to why Jane didn’t seek re-election at the provincial level In time it will come out – it always does.
The Region has some significant issues to resolve. Fortunately, there are many very talented people working at the Regional level. As long as Carr is there to call meetings to order and to adjourn – staff will take care of the rest.
The bigger questions is – will Carr want to do another round in 2026.
Gord Krantz, still the Mayor of Milton, after 40 years in office as both a Councillor and Mayor has shown how to hold on to office.
 By Pepper Parr
October 25th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
For the city of Burlington that last update of the polling results was 11:29 pm.
The numbers shifted a little as each update was done – but the die was cast with the very first results at 8:15
The results shown below have to now be certified by the City Clerk after which they are then OFFICIAL.
There is another round of council meetings in November and then the swearing in takes place and a new Council gets on with the job of working its way through what is going to be a tough four years.
Budgets will swell, OLT meetings will work their way through that process and the city will begin to review the Strategic Plan
Will the level of toxicity remain the same? Shawna Stolte who has been a burr under the Mayor’s saddle will become a thorn in her side. It will not be pretty.
The Integrity Commissioner will be kept busy dealing with the Kearns breach and the Galbraith difficulty in understanding just what a conflict is and his problems understanding the instructions he was given by the Integrity Commissioner.
And, Rory Nisan will continue being the Mayor’s lap dog.
Here are the final results of the initial count of the ballots.
 By Pepper Parr
October 25th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The following is what Lisa Kearns did not want media to report on:
In a Facebook message she said:
I believe so deeply in the next generation – true leaders are on the way up and I am humbled to introduce you to Matthew Walker
Matt delivered impactful and inspiring remarks at the Campaign Celebration earlier this month. Here’s an excerpt:
“We re-elect Lisa Kearns to continue to represent Ward 2, the heart of this city. Lisa is invested in making the future of Burlington a place that your kids, and grandkids can build a life in… and… hope that the heart of this city stays strong and healthy and vibrant until the next generation can move this city even farther forward.”
 Matthew Walker – the speaker the Gazette was not allowed to hear. “I am still in awe of his whole remarks, this is someone to watch, I know with certainty that he will go on to make a real difference and impact change – locally & globally.”
You will recall that Kearns invited people to a Celebration (for what wasn’t clear_ that was to take place at Freeman Station. She spent something more than $600 in the way of campaign money.
I attended. Five minutes later Lisa approached me and said she didn’t want me in the room.
Rather than take you through the gory, but laughable details, there is a link below.
The downside to all this is that Lisa Kearns will, in all probability, be re-elected which she may take as a mandate to continue to behave in such a poor fashion.
She will have to deal with the Integrity Commissioner, it is going to be interesting to see how that works out.
The Integrity Commissioner will do nothing until Kearns is sworn in sometime in December.
Related news stories:
On being uninvited to a public event
Those loose lips –
By Pepper Parr
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The city communications people report that:
The City’s voting vendor is experiencing technical difficulties which is causing a delay in reporting the unofficial results online. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Suzanne Vukosavljevic, Manager of Communications, City of Burlington
The problem we have with that statement is that Oakville uses the same vendor and they have processed all the polls.
There was an additional run at 10:05 pm The numbers are higher but the percentages are basically the same.
We will stick around until all the polls have been processed.
By Pepper Parr
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The second run of poll results has now been posted.
They are not that much different than the first run
They are as follows
By Pepper Parr
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
This may turn out to be a long night after all.
There is, at 9:26 pm. clearly a problem.
All the advance poll and long term care ballots were processed in minutes – they were up at 8:15 – since then nothing,
 Suzanne Vukosavljevic Manager of Communications City of Burlington In a response from the city communications people we have been told the following
“1/29 polls have been reported so far. Results will be provided as soon as possible throughout the evening as votes have to be counted across our polls.”
Well we knew that – we were just led to believe that this was a very rapid process.
The Oakville votes are one poll away from being complete.
To the city communications people – try again – and this time provide some detail.
By Pepper Parr
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor slips in a last minute advertisement to her followers, some of them were not impressed..
From a reader:
Hi Pepper – Rec’d this this morning….Somehow, I don’t think this is kosher…especially since it’s voting day. If she had stuck to just encouraging folks to vote and listing the polling locations…fine. But this is pure populist in my view.
What’s your take ?
Cheers,
From: Marianne [mailto:marianne4mayor@gmail.com]
Sent: October 24, 2022 8:54 AM
Subject: Vote today! Polls open 10am-8pm
Vote Today!
Polls open 10am-8pm
Today is election day! Your vote is your voice so make sure you use it! Poll locations are listed below.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to call, email, or open your door to speak with us about our platform for reasonable growth in the right place; taking action on affordable housing, climate change and transit/mobility; more community centres and parks for our growing community; supporting farming in Burlington; and promoting community pride so everyone feels welcome and included.
By Pepper Parr
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It didn’t take the provincial government any time at all to take some decisive moves – tomorrow afternoon Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, will introduce legislation outlining the next phase of Ontario’s plan to build more homes faster.
 Minister of Housing is going to tell the Legislature about his plans for building houses – a task that the municipalities have to make happen. The Minister will hold a technical media briefing via teleconference at 1:45 p.m. What he says at that briefing will not be attributable – it will be given as background to the legislation he will be tabling in the Legislature at 3:00 pm
While voters across the province are scurrying about to decide who they want to elect as their city councillors the provincial government is getting ready to introduce a bill that isn’t expected to make the job these new city council will have to do in the next four years.
Get ready for a bumpy ride
By Staff
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
From the Mayor via Twitter:
Dear resident, This morning I tested positive for COVID. Fortunately symptoms have been mild so far. I’m following official guidance & protocols & self-isolating. Please stay healthy everyone. I look forward to seeing you soon! For COVID guidance visit: https://halton.ca/For-Residents/
Mayor takes part in Chamber event Thursday evening.
 Not a mask in sight. Some servers were masked Huge crowds.
Full disclosure: Gazette editor covered the event.
 By Jeannie Løjstrup
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
When individuals engage in online casino gaming, two things bring satisfaction. The first is the excitement surrounding gameplay. The second and the more important of the two is to win rewards.
 Manage your money – keep what you gamble under control – use whatever system works for you. Online casino gaming offers people the possibility to win significant amounts of rewards at a go. That’s why a lot of people enjoy playing them. Nevertheless, while expecting the tables to turn in your favor, you could get hit with a barrage of losses. If you don’t practice proper budget management, you could experience a big drop in your account balance.
The great part of iGaming is that gaining access to a platform introduces you to a wide array of high-quality and exciting games. So that you don’t get carried away in the euphoria that these games induce, you need to learn budget management.
Stick to your financial plan
The first rule of budget management in online casinos is to stick to your budget. When you insert your casino login details into an account and begin gaming, you aim to win as many rewards as possible. However, many gamers forget that while there’s a good chance of winning, the probability of losing is equally high.
The smart thing to do is to remember that you have to bet on an amount you can afford to lose. You need to establish a fixed amount you’ll take out of your earnings for casino gaming.
This money should be calculated after you’ve paid all your bills and taken out your savings. Establishing a budget and sticking to that plan will ensure you remain covered when you hit a string of losses.
Avoid placing high bets
 The mistake of wagering more than they can afford on a single bet. Many casino gamers make the mistake of wagering more than they can afford on a single bet. When they get hit with a loss, they get disoriented and make panic bets, thereby losing more money. Ultimately, a big chunk of their account balance goes away, forcing them to start all over.
To become a smart casino player, you need to understand that your big bets have to correlate with your account size. This way, you’ll determine what constitutes a big wager for you.
You can start by ensuring you never bet more than 1-3% of your entire account balance on a single bet. This way, even if you experience a few losses after a string of wins, you’d be largely unaffected by them.
Eliminate desperation and emotions
One of the worst errors that casino players make is to include emotions in the game. The most glaring instance is when players experience losses and continue to increase their wagers as the game progresses. Sometimes even expert gamers give in to desperation and emotions.
It is vital to manage your emotions and avoid betting an increased amount after experiencing a loss. One great way to do this is to set a stop loss limit where you’ll end a gaming session after a loss target has been reached. This way, you’ll quickly understand that chasing losses never works out for anyone.
When you desperately try to recover your losses by engaging in more games, there’s a high likelihood of draining your account balance. Hence, you need to avoid going too far when gaming.
Monitor your gaming results
You can only know how well you perform at games when you monitor your casino gaming results. Several gamers lose themselves in the fun of the games and forget how much cash they’ve burned through.
If you’re more traditional, you can get a pen and a book to monitor your wins. However, an app like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets is the more effective way that allows for quick computation.
 This way, you’ll be better poised to realize when accumulating aggregate losses. Another benefit of monitoring your gaming is that you’ll be able to determine when you need to take a break and strategize
Although people engage in casino gaming to gain excitement, many consider earning rewards to be the main motivation for playing them. Nevertheless, many individuals get so focused on getting prizes that they forget casino gaming can go the negative way.
Understanding budget management for casino gaming will go a long way to ensuring you have a better experience. You can start by sticking to a financial plan, avoiding large single bets, monitoring gaming results, and eliminating desperation.
By Staff
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 These people were voting in the two advance polls Monday, October 24 is Election Day for Burlington’s municipal election.
This is the last opportunity eligible voters have to cast their vote and choose who they want to represent them on Burlington City Council, including Mayor and City Councillor(s).
Eligible voters will also vote for Halton Regional Chair and School Board Trustee.
To date, 18,998 eligible voters in Burlington have cast their vote in the municipal election, either by voting online (14,980) or at an advance poll (4,018) earlier this month.
On Election Day, voting locations will be open between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. There are four voting locations in each ward. Eligible electors can vote at any voting location in their ward.
To determine which ward you live in, and which voting location is closest to you, view the Voter Information Letter sent to the homes of eligible Burlington voters earlier this fall. If you did not receive a Voter Information Letter, you can complete the Voters List form on myvoteburlington.ca. The results will display the ward you live in and your designated voting locations.
A complete list of voting locations can be found on the “Voting Locations” web page on myvoteburlington.ca. All locations are accessible. The 24 voting locations include:
What to bring when you vote
Before heading out to a voting location on Election Day, remember to bring:
• your Voter Information Letter – if you do not have a Voter Information Letter, you can still vote.
• one piece of identification that has your name and address on it. Photo identification is not required. See a list of accepted forms of identification at myvoteburlington.ca.
Burlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.
Voting Results
The City Clerk declares the official election results as soon as possible after voting day on Oct. 24.
Unofficial results will be shared at myvoteburlington.ca/results in real time on election night on Oct. 24.
Voting results will be updated on a regular basis throughout election night. Residents can check myvoteburlington.ca/results regularly to get the most recent results.
 By Staff
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 What looked like a very sick coyote was seen at Central Park on Sunday between 1 and 5 pm It was planned as a pleasant picnic at Central park on a nice Sunday afternoon.
It turned out to be an interesting, and an a bit concerning time.
Yards away from where the picnic was taking place a coyote appeared.
It was young and looked to be in very poor shape.
Between 1 and 5 today they reported 10 sightings of what looked like a very sick animal.
The small group didn’t feel threatened but they kept their eye on the coyote and called Animal Control services – it was Sunday and they were closed.
How bizarre do they think Coyotes honour the Sabbath day!
It would appear there is still a coyote problem in Burlington.
 By Santi Tranquillo
October 24th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
What can you expect from the work of a particular corporate software? That’s a pretty interesting question, if you take the boardroom portal into consideration. Today we will answer it.
The Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Check Board Software
You should expect great results when you choose an entire ecosystem for board portal software. But what can you expect from a boardroom, because there are so many choices on the market right now that you can’t keep your eyes open? The functions are different or differ not so much that attention is attracted to a certain software. We’ll help you figure out what you should expect.
 The Board Room has traditionally been a place where Board members meet – that meeting can now be virtually and more effective than meeting in a room – even if it is nicely furnished. Follow this article.
Understand the Boardroom Portal
Simply said, the board portal is a handy tool for the most effective approach to handle a board of directors. It is not management, per se, but rather a tool for developing and organizing ideas that arise during interactions. You can create meetings using both built-in video conferencing capabilities and third-party applications like Skype or Zoom with this simple yet powerful software.
As the conversation proceeds, you will employ tools such as:
● Cross-platform. In most circumstances, if you prefer Android phones and your interlocutor prefers Windows, there is no problem. You’ll both use the same app and have no trouble with the functions.
● Using a paperless meeting solution to work with documents and files. This is required in order to generate and work with documents when discussing a concept. You may view and change them during the meeting. By the way, all of your modifications will be saved in order to track user behavior.
● Intelligent voting is included in. Nobody will notice them because they frequently include built-in tracking of each individual participant’s behavior. In addition, they appear in such a way that they just cannot be ignored.
As you have understood, you can expect a nice implementation of at least the above features. We’ll deal with the basic features right now.
 All the documents are reports can be instantly available to a Board of Directors making decisions in real time Basic Boardroom Portal Features
Eventually we come to the resolution of your question about what you should expect in terms of functionality at all. Each particular online board meeting portal has slight differences in functionality between them, but don’t despair. You probably won’t even notice them if your area of business lies in the legal or economic fields. You can really only notice it strongly if you’re in some unpopular area and they don’t make special frameworks for it within this kind of software. Check board portal software comparison guide and now we move on to the basic functions:
● The ability to create agendas for the day, month, or year. Generally speaking, the creation of agendas is a rather important element for each individual meeting or meeting. It is what the staff or management staff use to deal with urgent issues or to orient themselves. In every single example of board management software, this is a must because of its relevance.
● Distribution of security roles. This is necessary to ensure that each user has their own place and appropriate capabilities. You will assign meeting administrators who will log the entire process and monitor the efficiency of the meetings, and you will also assign access to different documents to each individual user or an entire group. This is necessary in the case of using documents within a meeting.
● Ability to vote and make selections. Think that during every meeting you come to some particular choice or conclusion. That’s the point of the meeting, to put it bluntly. Different tools for voting and tracking the activity of each individual participant in the process will help you significantly develop the progress of your company.
● Having a file and document manager. This is quite useful if you’re actively parsing documentation during meetings. You can use it immediately within the program, rather than sending a specific file to each individual participant. This is really convenient even if you compare it to traditional document flow. After all, it used to be like this: you had to print out paperwork, distribute paperwork, give paperwork according to competency level. Who needs this now that there is electronic document management?
● Various plug-ins that can automate the work processes that take place specifically in your workplace. These plug-ins can be turned on and off at will, and can be downloaded or removed from the main program. This is available in almost every single example of virtual boardroom software.
This is what you can expect from any software you end up choosing. More features like artificial intelligence gathering may also be provided, but they are not the basic ones.
The Best Ways to Use These Products
By following a few simple guidelines, you can get the most out of a virtual meeting room. They will reveal major chances to save you time and money while also reducing waste and mistakes.
 Get the most out of a virtual meeting room ● Ascertain versatile compatibility. Your virtual board software must support all major platforms and operating systems, including desktops, laptops, and smartphones running Windows, Android, Mac OS, and iOS. Choose such a person from the start. If you had to choose one with unique features, but just for Windows desktops, you may try to request that your supplier produce and include new versions in the regular package.
● Make the initial configuration for your business from the earliest stages of use. Then test how it works.
● Automate everything you can automate. It will simplify your entire workflow, so use this feature as often as possible.
 By Pepper Parr
October 22nd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The last minute rush to get to that very last voter will end today
Voters need a chance to think about the choice they make and to give thought to where the city is going to go during a time when there isn’t all that much that is certain.
The 2022 election has certainly been different; there were no third party advertisers gumming up the works.
There weren’t any robo-calls that we are aware of.
There was a thirst for change in 2018 and that is what the city got: 5five brand new Council members and a new mayor.
Many voters are sitting back and asking themselves: How did that work out for us ?
 Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna  Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan Perhaps two, in the opinion of the Gazette, haven’t work out all that well (Rory Nisan ward 3 and Angelo Bentivegna ward 6); a third finds that he is not going to be able to fully represent his constituents if he is re-elected. Kelvin Galbraith was advised that this would be the case by the Integrity Commissioner last March.
Galbraith had a responsibility to advise his constituents last March that this was the case. The public didn’t become aware of the situation until ward 1 activist Tom Muir managed to get the document from Galbraith who had a much different interpretation that most people of just what the Integrity Commissioner had to say.
The Mayor basically didn’t campaign. She relied on photo ops and two public appearances where there could have and should have been s full-scale debate.
Former Councillor Rick Craven wrote a scathing opinion piece that the Gazette republished.
The people in ward 4 have a tough decision to make: do they understand and accept the decision their Councillor Shawna Stolte made to release what was confidential information public.
She was docked five days pay for what she did.
 The Gazette thinks Stolte did the right thing; we further believe that the report from the Closed Session Investigators made it very clear that Burlington had to clean up its practices and be more forthcoming with information when the come out of a Closed Session of Council.
In our ten years of covering Burlington City Council we have never seen as many Closed Sessions before. Admittedly, there have never been as many contentious development applications being submitted either.
During the budget there was next to nothing debated about the decision to buy the Bateman High School site; the words “forthcoming budgets’ didn’t get much in the way of attention.
From our point of view the best thing for the city is a Council that has Robert Radway winning in ward 1; Lisa Kearns winning in ward 2; Jennifer Houndslow winning in ward 3; Shawna Stole holding her seat in ward 4, Paul Sharman holding his seat in ward 5 and Rick Greenspoon winning in ward 6.
Sharman and Kearns are certain – the others are in the hands of the voter.
Marianne Meed Ward is certain – we expect with a smaller plurality.
Expect Gary Carr to be returned as Regional Chair which is a shame. Carr has served the people well since 2000, but it is time for a younger, fresher proven voice to lead. Andrea Grebenc would be an excellent choice.
Related news media
What the Integrity Commissioner had to say to Galbraith
Stolte and her Integrity issues.
What Craven told the public about Meed Ward
 By Staff
October 22nd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It may not be seen as a big deal by some – but traffic control and keeping drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or some drug is a full time job.
The public is a big help when they cal the police and report an erratic driver.
Two Halton Regional Police Officers were the Co-Recipients of MADD Officer of the Year Award
Constable Olga Kripak and Constable David Rivers, have been named co-recipients of the 2022 MADD Halton Region Officer of the Year Award.
The annual award is part of an initiative undertaken by MADD Halton Region to recognize officers for their commitment and contributions to the prevention, apprehension, and prosecution of impaired drivers.
Recipients are identified through the use of police analytics.
 Inspector Craddock congratulates Constables Kripak and Rivers who arrested a combined total of 36 impaired drivers. In 2021, Constables Kripak and Rivers arrested a combined total of 36 impaired drivers. The pair also administered more than 350 roadside tests, and conducted nearly 360 hours of RIDE enforcement.
Constable Kripak is a member of the 2 District (Oakville) District Response Unit; Constable Rivers is assigned to Uniform Patrol in 1 District (Milton and Halton Hills).
Inspector Julie Craddock of the HRPS Traffic Services Unit said: “MADD’s award is a testament to their dedication to keeping our roads safe. Their efforts on this front have, no doubt, saved lives.”
Driving while impaired remains the most prominent contributing factor to serious collisions in Canada. The Halton Regional Police Service thanks MADD Halton Region for their tireless efforts to eliminate impaired driving in Halton and across Canada.”
On average, one-third of impaired driving charges laid are the result of members of the public calling police after observing suspected impaired driving. If you have reason to believe a fellow motorist is driving impaired, pull over safely and call 9-1-1.
 By Pepper Parr
October 22nd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
We did a very short piece on the Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Entrepreneur Award dinner that took place on Thursday.
There was too much election material to get published.
 Jeff Paikin greeting those who came to witness his being names the Distinguished Entrepreneur for 2021 The event was the first that people from the construction/development community could take part – there was room for 525 people and they squeezed in 531, people were actually turned away.
These events can at times be very very dry and drawn out. This one was different. First the place was packed and people were in a good mood.
They were there to witness the awards being given to Jeff Paikin as the 2021 recipient and Conrad Zurini as the 2022 recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Entrepreneur Award.
 Steve Paikin being prepped for his part of the evening Steve Paikin, Jeff’s brother was the MC and Ian Hanamansing, of CBC National News fame did some of the introducing. He and Jeff both attended Mount Allison University in New Brunswick at the same time.
 CBS’s Ian Hanamansing enjoying a selfie moment with a Chamber of Commerce staffer The Chamber took an idea from the Gogeco people and set the award winners up in comfortable wing back chairs where they answered question and spoke about the way they saw the industry they were involved in and deeply committed to.
It was interesting to see developers talk about the way they see what they do.
During the past week the Gazette has had a reporter out on the street asking people what they felt were the important issues.
More than 80% said – over development.
 Conrad Zurini’s mother; proud of a son that has been an entrepreneur since the age of 12 Jeff Paikin said in his comments they his company was building homes for people and at the same time creating community where children would be raised.
Conrad Surini is in the business of selling those homes to people. In his remarks he made it clear that he fully understood the challenges people face in today’s market and what the economists and bankers suggest we are going to be in for some time
 Natasha Piroutz; Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager, Burlington Chamber of Commerce The developers are the risk takers; they buy the land, pay the mortgages while they wait for the right time to start digging holes and putting in basements and garages.
It wasn’t all speeches. Marnie and Larry Paikin who have been patrons of the Canadian Brass and were able to convince them to do a live performance.
It was an opportunity for the woman to wear their best. Natasha Piroutz, Chamber of Commerce, was on hand to make sure that the schedule set out was adhered to as much as possible for events like this.
Ron Foxcroft who was introducing Conrad Zurini had said he wanted people to be in their cars no later than 9:00 pm – and for the most part that is the way the evening ended.
This is what a SOLD OUT event looks like.
By Staff
October 22nd,2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The following was published recently in another Burlington media: Local New.
It is being published in the Gazette with permission.
MARIANNE MEED WARD / IMAGE VS REALITY
An Opinion From Rick Craven
Marianne Meed Ward is edging toward re-election as Mayor of Burlington – and why not? She is a Burlington celebrity. She has a kind of sparkle; a type of magnetism that draws in folks who are fed up with government and demand quick solutions to complex problems.
She panders to these people with aspirational rhetoric about what could and should be accomplished. She spins things in such a way that people believe she is the super-hero who can make it all happen.
The problem is that she seldom points out the political, financial, legal or jurisdictional challenges and, when things don’t go her way, she simply blames the Province or the former Mayor.
Meed Ward’s campaign to beguile the public is reinforced by her influence over the City Hall Communications Department along with her savvy use of social media. She embraces any occasion on the calendar, any cause, campaign, crusade or special interest group to justify a tweet or post that includes her name.
“Meed Ward is not shy about seeking publicity”, once wrote columnist and former Alderman Joan Little.
Meed Ward’s efforts to charm the public are aided by the subtle compliance of the local news media. She has them wrapped around her finger. Reporters almost never challenge her or investigate her claims. Program hosts simply introduce a topic and let her run with it. She gets to say whatever she wants and, not surprisingly, it always reflects well on her. With these “soft ball” interviews the news media has become her ally.
“Mayor Meed Ward gets in front of the Cogeco cameras as well as the CHCH cameras on a regular basis. They are seen by the Mayor as friendly folk – not the kind of people who ask her tough questions”…….”She favours situations, such as her perch at CHML where she is never pressed on serious issues”, wrote columnist Pepper Parr.
The bottom line here is that Meed Ward has the communication skills, contacts, resources and charisma to distract observers from the fact that she simply overpromises and under delivers.
It’s like that popular song.
Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle Dazzle ‘em
Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give ‘em the old hocus pocus
Bead and feather ‘em
how can they see with sequins in their eyes?
(Musical – Chicago)
One could be easily fooled by Meed Ward’s never ending public relations campaign. Her message is clear. Everything will be OK as long as she is in charge. The past four years, however, have betrayed her super-hero image.
Consider the downtown planning debacle, the tall building chaos and the vilification of the development community.
“Did Mayor Meed Ward not understand the implications of council decisions that she worked for, or did she simply want to avoid inconvenient facts?”, wrote former Mayor Rick Goldring.
Long time Meed Ward supporter Gary Scobie shared the disappointment about her efforts to control tall buildings in the downtown. “We were betrayed”.
To be clear, nobody blames Meed Ward for the tall buildings. They are a natural part of a growing city. She does, however, deserve blame for telling constituents that she could manage them better than the last guy. She was warned by the former City Manager that a lot of tall buildings would be constructed while she was Mayor. She fired him.
Beyond her extravagant promises about tall buildings, we can’t forget the cost and chaos that resulted from Meed Ward’s Private Tree Bylaw. Then, there’s the clumsy way in which she handled the rainbow sidewalk issue. Let’s not forget the dabbling in reserve funds, the seemingly endless confidential meetings, the growth in the Infrastructure Renewal Gap, etcetera, but, put her in front of a camera and you’ll hear that everything is OK.
Meed Ward’s spin campaign included claims that, under her leadership, this city council is more cohesive that the last, but that idea was washed away when Councillor Shawna Stolte publicly accused her of, “another political circus for your own selfish gains and I think you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Others, like Roland Tanner of the 905er podcast also question her claims of team unity.
“She loses friends at a hell of a rate. People who have supported her, like you wouldn’t believe in the earlier parts of her career, are now upset with her for various reasons….We’re starting to see Marianne Meed Ward, warts and all”.
Here in Ward One, voters may wish to look past Meed Ward’s fancy rhetoric and reflect on whether her carefully constructed image has met the test of reality. Consider these examples.
Meed Ward is directly responsible for the fiasco at 2100 Brant Street. She told neighbours during the 2018 election that she would “seek to scale back” a proposed townhouse development. The project had in fact been approved by the last Council, but shortly after she was elected Mayor, Meed Ward rescinded the approval, something almost unheard of and certainly contrary to staff’s advice. In the end, the City had to settle for essentially the same proposal as originally approved with only slight changes. Meed Ward admitted defeat when she declared that the City could not find a professional planner to support her and the neighbours’ opposition to the development.
But, that wasn’t the end of it! The Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT) awarded $17,088.97 in damages to the developer as a consequence of the rescinding of the original approval. LPAT called the City’s action “clearly unreasonable”. Meed Ward blew-off the cost and embarrassment to the City with the comment that it was “money well spent”.
Tyandaga resident John Calvert, who had believed Meed Ward’s promise to do something about the development and supported her for Mayor, suddenly realized he had backed the wrong horse.
“I regret having believed that you would actually fulfill your two main campaign promises – to oppose over-development and improve public engagement”, wrote Calvert after the settlement.
Meed Ward also misled Tyandaga residents about her ability to mitigate the impact of the Meridian Quarry expansion. She promised to; “Push for provincial review of North Aldershot Quarry Expansion, and air quality studies of quarry dust”, according to her campaign literature.
After her election, she attempted to get the Province involved and was rejected. She tried to use the Tree Bylaw against the quarry but found it that it didn’t apply. She tried to bring in a Health Protection Bylaw to monitor emissions from the quarry and found out that she could not. She spent $35,000 in taxpayers’ money to get an independent expert opinion, which was never revealed in public.
In the end, when it became clear that she wasn’t making any progress, and the neighbours started publicly expressing their disappointment, she took the discussions with the neighbours behind closed doors. (This, despite years of her demands for more transparency in local government) So far, these ongoing private discussions have apparently produced nothing. Quarry plant manager, John Laurence reports that little is being achieved. “We get to hear more complaints, but it’s more of a forum for them to vent than anything else”.
The point is that she never should have misled the neighbours into believing that she could influence the situation when she knew, based on expert opinion from City and Halton staff dating back to 2017, that she could not. She had been told, as were all members of Council, that the quarry expansion was legal, that it was a Provincial matter and that nothing could be done to stop it.
She consciously told neighbours what they wanted to hear in 2018 rather than what they needed to know, simply because it fit her election strategy.
Still in Tyandaga, Meed Ward told concerned residents that she could not comment publicly on a controversial proposal to build a retirement home until she received a formal staff report. She did not want to be pinned down. This was never her position when she was the downtown Councillor rallying opposition to new building proposals at the earliest possible opportunity.
In the Maple community, Meed Ward’s chaotic interim control bylaw for the downtown spilled over to the Brant Court Co-op buildings on North Shore Boulevard in Ward One. Her fight against developers resulted in a delay to the final approval of a new 17-storey retirement home on the site. As a result, she seriously disrupted the pending plans of a vulnerable group of home owners who wanted to complete their deals with the developer. They were forced to put their sales and relocation plans on hold resulting in anxiety and uncertainty. Two years later, the City exempted the project from the interim control bylaw, settled with the developer, and succeeded in reducing the height of the proposed building by only one storey.
In Aldershot, Meed Ward kept her campaign promise to keep Clearview, Queen Mary and St. Matthew’s Avenue outside the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) boundary. The problem is that she was never honest with those residents about the consequences. The latest plan calls for those tiny streets to be surrounded on three sides by tall buildings.
Finally, doesn’t the Mayor, who repeatedly promised more transparency in government, owe the people of Aldershot an explanation as to how a 12-storey proposal for the Solid Gold property became an 18-storey building, all negotiated behind closed doors with no public input?
There’s much more that could be discussed and I realize these opinions are subject to much debate, but my message to readers is simple. The time has come to look past Marianne Meed Ward’s spin machine and consider the facts. I know that her fans think she is current and hip, but in reality she reinforces the classic image of an old fashioned populist who over promises and under delivers.
Rick Craven served as Councillor for ward 1 for almost 22 years.
By Pepper Parr
October 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
The Director of Communications for the city took exception to the views in this opinion piece maintaining that there were errors. We replied to the Director in this article Differences of opinion and attempts to manipulate which you can read HERE
There are two issues when we talk about Shawna Stolte and her campaign for re-election as the Council member for ward 4
We covered what she has done and what she said she would do in a previous article.
The second issue with Shawna Stolte as an elected official is her behaviour as seen by the Integrity Commissioner.
The Integrity is in place to ensure that members of Council follow the rules they set out for themselves and a place citizens can register complaints
 Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith  Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan Early this year two members of Council filed a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner over a statement Stolte made related to how much the city was going to pay to purchase the Robert Bateman High School site.
She said in a council meeting that the sum was in the order of $50 million dollars. Stolte did not release the exact number but she is believed to have been very close that whatever the number is.
The Integrity Commissioner accepted the complaints and did an investigation and came to the conclusion that Stolte did indeed reveal to the public information she learned of in a closed session of Council.
That is a no no – and Stolte admitted as much saying that she felt very strongly about the public’s need to know what kind of spending Council was talking about in CLOSED sessions of Council.
The Integrity Commissioner decided that an appropriate punishment was to dock the Council member five days pay.
Stolte accepted the decision and said later that if it took five days pay to get information before the public it was money well spent.
The Integrity Commissioner took exception to that remark and said later that if he had known there was little in the way of remorse he would have considered docking the Council member 30 days pay.
There was considerable difference of opinion on just what this should mean. Many thought that deciding to release the $50 million number was an egregious mistake while others saw it as a matter of principle.
Stolte did not benefit from the release of the information; the public interest was in no way damaged. The sale/purchase of the property was not impacted.
Agreed that Stolte made public information that was discussed in a CLOSED session of Council and It is important that Council members be fully aware of that.
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte She took the position that it was a matter of principle and that the public had a right to know.
One of the things that came out of the incident was the bringing in legal specialists who did a survey of the manner in which Council made public matters that were discussed in a CLOSED session and made more than a suggestion that Council tighten up the way it keeps the public informed.
That report, to a considerable degree, supports the principled decision Stolte made.
The second matter relating Stolte that went to the Integrity Commissioner should have never been accepted by those people.
Stolte did an interview with the Gazette in which she talked about what the first couple of years as a Council member was like.
One of the bumps she ran into was getting an administrative assistant. In Burlington every member of Council has an administrative assistant. None of the other municipal councils in the region provide that level of support to their Council members.
Stole didn’t name the person assigned to her. So what was the big deal?
Well the big deal was that the woman, who turned out to be Georgi Garside has worked for the city for more than 20 years. She was Marianne Meed Ward’s administrative assistant when she was the Councillor for ward 2. Garside was not a recent city employee.
The two women are quite close and are reported to entertain each other in their homes.
 Shawna Stolte with her father. When Stolte learned of Garside’s concern she immediately offered to apologize. Quite why she would apologize is beyond me.
Where the error was made, we believe is that the Integrity Commissioner should have kept their sticky fingers out of the issue.
They did say that there was no breach of the Code of Good Conduct and they should have left it at that.
But they chose to get involved in the writing of the apology.
Where the City Manager, Tim Commisso was in all this defies understanding.
This was a Human Resources issue and there should have been a reprimand to Garside. Staff accept the assignments they are given and if they don’t like the assignment take their concern to Human Resources or look for another job.
The City Manager apparently said nothing.
However, Stolte said she would apologize and she was going to stand by that decision.
Then it got really silly and very very nasty.
Stole advised the Mayor and the Clerk that she would be reading her apology during the Comments part of the council meeting, which was her right.
The Mayor was having none of it. She decided she was going to re-arrange the Agenda, which was her right, and have Stolte read her apology into the record at the beginning of the meeting so that Garside, who was participating virtually, could hear what she had already read.
Had Stolte done that the matter would have become debatable and Stolte would have had to defend was took place to any member of Council that chose to question her.
Stolte was having none of it.
That is when the Mayor made a total fool of herself and damaged forever the reputation she had for being a decent person.
The Gazette has published her 14 minute shameful display of sheer nastiness many times. Click on the link to hear it for yourself. Listen to it several times to understand how controlling and manipulative your Mayor is.
We don’t want to appear to be commending Stolte for the principled decision she made. What it did was bring to the surface how treacherous Mayor Marianne Meed Ward can be.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Pepper Parr
October 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Ward 2 is downtown Burlington.
Is has been undergoing massive high rise development.
The ward 2 Councillor has a significant impact on how issues roll out.
The consultants for the owners of the Waterfront hotel put it very well when they said that the intersection of Brant and Lakeshore Road is “ground zero” for Burlington.
That kind of hype can go to the head of a politician who doesn’t have a strong grip on what the real world that people have to live in day to day is all about.
The ward was represented by Marianne Meed ward from 2010 up until 2018 when she ran for Mayor.
Lisa Kearns is now the Councillor for the ward.
Lisa loves the photo op.
  
She defines herself as a policy wonk.
She thinks quickly, at times uses complex language to get a simple complex issue across. I still don’t know what she means when she talks about “the delta”.
In the first few years as Councillor she had a sense of humour and the ability to pop out one liners that were wickedly funny.
She can multi task like crazy.
Lisa also has one of the best brains working in the municipal sector that I have seen in some time.
She can see and work with the “big picture” ideas but has yet to come up with ideas, concepts or directions for the city.
It is difficult to find something she introduced and shepherded to completion.
And the truth is not always clearly defined in her hands.
 An opportunity to take a principled position was missed. An opportunity to take a principled stand was lost when the vote to proceed with the redevelopment of the Skyway Arena in the east end of the city was being voted on. The cost came in at $39 million which Councillor Stolte said was too high and something the city could not afford.
Kearns agreed with Stolte and said so but when it came to a vote – she went with the majority. Putting a vote behind the verbal support would not have put a halt to the project; instead of a 6-1 vote it could have been a 5-2 keeping the development alive but making an important point
Kearns tells people that actions speak louder than words – but there isn’t all that much in the way of measureable action to show for the four years she has been on the job.
She is going to ensure that the public gets value for the taxes they pay – how about keeping tax increases at the 3% to 4% level. The reality at this point looks like something that might be a double digit
Being a municipal Councillor is hard work – something the public doesn’t appreciate.
Does anyone understand why, in the middle of her first term, she agreed to be considered a candidate for the Burlington seat in the provincial Legislature?
She makes mention of a strong business community to have a “vibrant” downtown core. There is currently a group wanting to open what will be a pharmacy, massage and doctor’s office set up that is on hold due to a zoning issue.
There are literally dozens of seniors who would love to see a medical practice on Brant Street close to Lakeshore Road that they can walk to. Appeals to step in have been made to Kearns with nothing in the way of a response.
Being popular and being liked is nice – but most people would like to see results that make their lives more livable rather than a council member who wants to have her picture taken with them.
 Unfortunately, Kearns is the best of the three candidates. There is something unsettling with a politician who decides during a Zoom call to blurt out some information that was confidential that gets put out where it is public and then has an anxiety attack and asks to have the public comment taken down. And scrambling to talk to everyone about how to fix the goof on the part of the Councillor.
Why was she even talking about the amount of money that was being set aside for a legal defence?
No one outside of Council and the City Manager and the City Solicitor were supposed have access to that information.
The information was leaked at a meeting of the Burlington Downtown Business Association.
This was a case of someone showing off – loose lips sink ships and on this one her ship should sink.
Her council colleagues appear to have supported Kearns for what has been described as an unintended utterance – try that one the next time you are in traffic court. Quite how and why this was discussed in a Closed Session of Council is something we may never know..
The unfortunate part of Kearns’s candidacy is that she is the best of the three candidates-her community deserves a more mature individual who does not block people who want access to her social media simply because she doesn’t like hearing from them.
Maybe some growing up and a little less of the histrionics are in order. Some duct tape on the mouth would be a good start.
The really disturbing note with Lisa Kearns is that there is so much raw talent that isn’t being put to use; instead we are seeing someone who wants to be liked.
I’d like to be able to respect the woman.
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