 By Pepper Parr
September 22, 2028
BURLINGTON, ON
Gord Pinnard left the city council meeting earlier this week at which many of the CORE (Conserving our Rural Ecosystems) members had delegated feeling that the job had been done by his members – now to determine if Council has heard what they have to say.
 God Pinnard The event was the first time people who were not part of the CORE organization got to see what Pinnard called “a very compelling piece of evidence” – a short video showing what happens when blasting of rock inside the quarry takes place.
It is worth watching – click HERE for a link.
The next step for Pinnard and the public is – for City Council to announce that it is taking a firm stand against any expansion of the quarry. The city has said it is watching but the Mayor has yet to come out with a strong statement, waiting instead to determine just what the risk is for the City.
CORE is a party to the next OLT hearing that is to take place on the 11th of October.
City Council is expected to do a Receive and File of report of the September 18th report at the Council meeting scheduled for the 26th – the public might hear a few words on their thoughts.
On October 3rd, City Manager Tim Commisso said Council will go into a CLOSED session to talk about the position the City will take at the OLT hearing on the 11th which is a Case Management Conference where determining just what the issue is and who is going to be representing who gets set out.
 CORE has a vision with the label 7G – standing for the next seven generations that they want to be able to experience the Escarpment for what it is today – not what Nelson Aggregates wants now.  CORE has between 1200 and 1300 people getting their updates and announcements of fund raising events. They have raised close to $200,000 and know that they are going to need even more. The planned Porch Pumpkin fund raiser is running now.
 Order your porch pumpkin here. Pinnard talked about some of the disappointments their organization has experienced in learning just where the responsibility for oversight on what takes place at the quarry.
The two Ministries each have Acts they are responsible for that are part of the process that regulate quarry operations. The (MECP) Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and the (MNR) Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry – which at times seem to be at odds with each other.
Aggregate Resources Act governs quarry licensing and is administered by the MNR.
The MECP has responsibility for the Environment Protection Act.
When there is a complaint to the MECP, the MNR is required to investigate – Pinnard has found that an investigation either doesn’t take place or any investigation tends to miss the point of the complaint.
 This little creature needed a place to breed and the then Ontario Municipal Board made sure he would have all the space he wanted. The City of Burlington shuts down portions of King Road so that the Jefferson can get from one side to the other. There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the two but, according to Pinnard, “that document hasn’t proven to be all that useful”.
Pinnard is relying heavily on the approach the OLT will take arguing that the hearings rely upon the evidence of experts – with the wishes and feelings of residents having little to do with the decision.
Rob Northy, a lawyer with Weir & Foulds, has extensive experience at the OLT level and is fully briefed on the quarry issue.
Both CORE and the City were taken aback and very disappointed with the Nelson Aggregate decision to abandon the JART approach that was underway and appeal to the OLT for a decision arguing that the JART processes was taking far too long.
JART (Joint Agency Review Tribunal) was a bit of an awkward structure that set out many levels the Tribunal would go and called for thousands of pages of documentation.
When the last hearing was held there was tons of evidence – but in the end it was the threat to the existence of the Jefferson Salamander that won the day.
Few even knew about the creature when the Nelson Aggregate application for an expansion was made.
 By Pepper Parr
September 22, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Progressive Conservative Ford still did something you rarely see Liberal premiers or prime ministers do. He apologized. He took it on the chin, fell on his sword in full admission that this was messed up. Doug Ford has certainly had a better month – in three weeks he lost three of his Cabinet members and on Thursday had to drag his Cabinet into a parking lot behind a hotel to publicly apologize for what he admitted was a mistake.
At that point it became a bit of a pile on with Burlington’s Mayor Marianne Meed Ward saying she “applauded the reversal of Ford’s plan that will now see 7,400 acres of land returned to the Greenbelt” adding it was great news for the environment.
The mayor went on to suggest the Ford government was left with few options to push the development agenda once the Auditor General’s report confirmed no Greenbelt land is required to meet the goal of new housing units.
However, the mayor acknowledged that work still needs to be done to meet necessary housing requirements.
“Burlington remains committed to working with all levels of government to do our part to get permits to builders so they can get shovels in the ground (to build homes,” she said. “We know the City of Burlington can do this within our urban boundary while protecting our rural and Greenbelt lands.”
Environmental Defence has been hounding the provincial government for months on the decision to let Greenbelt properties be opened up for housing saying “We hope this change marks the beginning of a broader shift away from the government’s current misguided policies, including: forced boundary expansions in Hamilton and Halton, Waterloo and elsewhere; its lowering of Growth Plan density requirements; its gutting of Conservation Authorities; and its dismantling of regional land use planning. These damaging decisions, along with attempts to repeal laws which promote efficient land use and construction, must also be reversed.
 Environmental Defence kicking up their heals at a staff retreat “Environmental Defence is particularly concerned that Premier Ford continues to pursue the wasteful and unnecessary Highway 413 scheme. Not only does the highway divert billions in public funds but also misallocates crucial construction resources needed for housing and transit. The only beneficiaries of building highway 413 appear to be a select group of land speculators who have invested in farmland and forests along the proposed route. Building 413 would mean fewer homes, slower, and worsened traffic in the GTA.
“The only way to deliver the number of homes that Ontarians need – with the speed that our housing crisis demands – is to overhaul the zoning and official plans of existing neighbourhoods where people want to live. This would permit and encourage the construction of compact, affordable family homes on all residential streets – including those currently limited to single detached homes. This approach would expedite the creation of much-needed housing without compromising community integrity.
 NDP Leader of the Opposition Marit Stiles in a soybean field in the Greenbelt. Leader of the NDP Opposition, Marita Stiles, who deserves credit for sending those two crucial letters to the then Auditor General Bonnie Lysak and the provincial Integrity Commissioner J David Wake to investigate what was taking place. Without the letters from Stiles neither bureaucrat could do anything.
Stiles has been particularly tough on Doug Ford saying: “This is a government in complete and utter disarray, fractured after lurching from scandal to scandal. Ford’s Conservatives are now down three Cabinet ministers in just three weeks.
“Will there be any cabinet ministers left on Monday?
“The curtain’s been pulled back on a corrupt Conservative government all too comfortable with making backroom deals to benefit a select few of their friends – at the expense of everyone else.
“We can’t have a government that’s so entangled in its own messes that it’s not helping Ontarians with the very real challenges they’re facing.
People deserve a stable government that sees their frustration with the affordability crisis and how much the housing crisis is hurting them – and offers solutions that actually make their lives easier.”
The day Ford made his roll back announcement Stiles said of the eleventh-hour decision to reverse the Greenbelt Grab: ““This is a victory for Ontarians, who fought long and hard to get this government to reverse their corrupt decision to carve up the Greenbelt.
“It was clear from the beginning that this was the wrong decision, and yet Ford’s Conservatives pressed on. It was a calculated attempt by this government to benefit a select few of their insiders at the expense of everyone else.
“And Mr. Ford continues to dodge responsibility as the Premier of this province, especially as this whole scandal has pulled back the curtain on a government all too comfortable making backroom deals.
“This reversal won’t clear the air on a government that Ontarians know stinks.”.
 CBC reporter Mike Crawley at a press conference CBC reporter Mike Crawley said he didn’t think the announcement would bring an end to the story saying there was “much more to be learned”. Crawley wanted to know why the Premier didn’t ask questions is as to why the list of properties that were being approved for removal from the Greenbelt was debated – maybe it wasn’t debated – just rubber stamped.
The Legislature returns on Monday – expect Stiles to be in full attack mode.
 By Pepper Parr
September 21st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We know now what the Saturday newspapers will be full of.
 Premier Doug Ford apologizing for his original Greenbelt decision while taking part in a Cabinet retreat in Niagara Falls. The politically amazing turn around on the part of the Premier on his original plan to open up the Greenbelt to development.
While taking part in a retreat with his Cabinet in Niagara Falls before the Legislature opens on Monday Doug Ford said “it was a mistake”
It is possible to say now that no one will attempt to do anything with that land for a couple of decades.
Commentators have been saying that “this isn’t the end of this”.
Give Ford some credit for backing out and let’s see what we learn during the balance of the day.
By Pepper Parr
September 21st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Drip, drip, drip.
There is most certainly more to come
First, the former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark resigned.
Now Kaleed Rasheed, the former Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery of Ontario is sitting as an independent and no longer part of the Progressive Conservative caucus.
 Shakir Rehmatullah with Premier Doug Ford – the developer who attended the wedding of the Premier’s daughter.  Kaleed Rasheed, the former Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Rasheed’s office provided the wrong dates for a winter 2020 trip to Las Vegas, where he encountered his developer friend Shakir Rehmatullah — who attended the wedding of Ford’s daughter and who Wake believes was “more likely than not” tipped by someone to the government’s plans to remove lands from the Greenbelt.
Also on the trip were Ford’s principal secretary at the time, Amin Massoudi, and Jae Truesdell, now the premier’s director of housing policy, according to Wake’s probe.
Provincial Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake’s staff are clearly doing their homework and cross checking the information they have been given, under oath no less, and finding that the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth standard wasn’t met.
Is there more to come? Bet on it
“Premier Ford and MPP Kaleed Rasheed have agreed that Mr. Rasheed would resign from cabinet and the Ontario PC caucus, effective immediately,” said a brief statement from the premier’s office.
“If Mr. Rasheed can clear his name through the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, he will be provided an opportunity to return to caucus,” added the statement, saying a new minister of public and business service delivery will be appointed “in the coming days.”
There wasn’t much in the way of detail however a government insider speaking confidentially to discuss internal deliberations told the Toronto Star “we expect people to remember the month they took a trip.”
“There are generally a lot of questions not answered in light of what was said about what happened,” the insider added.
The public is still waiting for the RCMP to decide if any of the Greenbelt scandal warrants an investigation.
The provincial Legislature returns on Monday
 By Staff
September 21st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)
MP Adam van Koeverden is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change & Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity.
Parliamentary Secretaries get a small boost to their pay checks.
 Adam van Koeverden in a winning moment represent residents in the northern part of the city; Pam Damoff represents part of Burlington and part of Oakville.
By Staff
September 21st, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Celebrated author Janet Turpin Meyers delegated at a Standing Committee earlier this week.
 Author Janet Turpin Meyers My name is Janet Turpin Meyers. I’ve lived in Burlington for 52 years and on the Escarpment since 1982.
Over the years, I’ve witnessed the densification of population in the southern section of the city. And I’ve noted with approval how vigorously the city has always fought to protect the precious and irreplaceable natural ecosystems. that make up the very special Niagara Escarpment area of this city. As a longtime resident on the escarpment I’ve endured for most of my life. The gravel truck traffic the worries about contaminated imported fill from the Nelson pit the worries about diminishing well water and polluted creeks and silted in ponds. And I’ve also lived with the depressing realization that prime farmland has been permanently destroyed by Nelson aggregates nearly 70 years of mining.
We’ve listened to Nelson’s rhetoric about the quarry shutting down in the next five years. We’ve endured that eight year battle to stop that previous application from Nelson that was eventually denied in 2012 for that previous application, the due diligence process was fully and in good faith undertaken. The process rendered a resounding verdict of No, yet several years later, here we go again, another application from Nelson for virtually the same land.
This is incredibly upsetting to me as a citizen, that a decision so duly rendered only a few years years ago really can now be challenged by a private corporation, and possibly invalidated. What’s the point of all that painstaking, complicated process, all of that money being spent all of that energy expended by citizens and by governments? If a company can then come along in a few years later and try again for the same piece of land for the same thing, the aggregate industry conveniently professes a close to market mantra that goes something like this.
They argue that situating gravel pits close to market is the key to offsetting the negative impacts of greenhouse gases emitted by gravel trucks. They say it’s better to have trucks travel less distance, and thus inflict less co2 on the atmosphere. But already today in the here and now the process of replacing those combustion engine heavy trucks with electric vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions has begun. The federal government’s target for the electrification of heavy trucks is 100% of all sales by the year 2040.
 Janet Turpin Meyers at home overlooking the Escarpment forest. In July last year, the federal government brought in a purchasing incentive for heavy zero emission trucks of up to $200,000 per vehicle. The entire world is electrifying transportation, greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes are on their way out. Now consider this – the new pits being proposed by Nelson aggregates will be mined for at least 30 years, a length of time which means that trucking gravel back and forth will continue long after co2 emissions from those trucks will have ceased to be an issue.
So Nelson’s declaration of concern about greenhouse gases will be rendered as obsolete as those tailpipes will. Wear when faced with an either or situation, either Nelson is permitted to permanently destroy 125 more acres of Burlington precious Greenbelt or we may have a few for a few years, increased greenhouse gas emissions from gravel trucks that may or may not be travelling further. To me, it’s obvious.
 Janet Turpin Meyers, local author launches her first title at the end of the month. The permanent destruction of Burlington Greenbelt lands is too high a price to pay for a problem that is already on its way out. Nelson’s application to increase its open pit mine on Burlington escarpment means bringing the negative impacts of gravel mining closer to market as well. That is closer to people. This means bringing closer to home more destruction of prime farmland, more vanishing Greenbelt, more threats to the limited water supply of the people living on the escarpment. It means bringing more blasting and fire rock and dangerous dust right to Burlington’s backyard.
Why should a gravel company goal to increase its profits through reducing transportation costs trump the needs of Burlington citizens to preserve the natural heritage of their city for future generations. Burlington is a lucky city. It’s bounded on both its frontiers with beauty, with the sweeping blue expanse of Lake Ontario to the south and the rising living green of the escarpment to the north Burlington. has always protected its escarpment it has prohibited urbanization there. It’s allowed the farms to continue the Carolinian forest to thrive and the animals to survive.
Open pit mining is one of the most destructive industrial practices on earth. No mitigation plan will ever replicate the complexity of a bio-diverse ecosystem that has been blasted to its rocky core. As counsellors we have entrusted you with the stewardship of this rare and beautiful part of our city. Do you think New York city Councillors would allow a company to mine in Central Park?
What we have here in this city is exceptional, and precious, and it is your responsibility to protect it.
 By Staff
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s TEENTober, which means the Burlington Library has some extra programming just for teens all month long!
An Evening of Epic Fantasy – with authors Nicki Pau Preto (Crown of Feathers) & Joanna Hathaway (Glass Alliance).
By Pepper Parr
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON. ON
Many of the delegations heard during the different Standing Committee events have been based on feelings and emotions; sometimes references to events on which there wasn’t very much data.
 The quarry site that has been operational for a couple of decades in nearing its life cycle. It appears it can still kick up a storm. So far there hasn’t been anything in the way of a delegation by the Nelson Aggregate people – their representatives may have spoken for them but no one from Lagarge, the company that owns Nelson has appeared.
There have been good arguments about the need for the aggregate given the number of high rise towers that will be needed in Burlington to accommodate the number of new residents that will be Burlingtonians come 2031.
Hard, rock solid, evidence, (no pun intended) has been hard to come by. We got to view a video on The Cloud earlier today, the link is in red. It runs for a couple of minutes and it is slow – but when you see that cloud of dust you might want to watch it a second time and ask – Is this what is happening now – and Is this what we can expect in the future?
It is slow – but take the time to watch it
 By Pepper Parr
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Conservative Party Association released the results of a portion of the 338 poll that showed where the party stood in the Burlington constituency. The complete national poll can be seen HERE.
The poll has a +/- variance of 7% – making those numbers less than bankable.
In the world of politics you take what you can get.
 By Staff
September 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre announces its participation in this year’s Ontario Culture Days Festival; an annual celebration of arts and culture across the province providing free community art events that continue the support, engagement and awareness of the arts in our communities.
BPAC has removed one of the barriers to performing arts participation – all the events are free. This strengthens the community of artists, arts patrons and the general public by offering a full day of free and accessible community programming; supporting the cultural development of the city—and in turn—the quality of life within our shared communities.
This year BPAC offers a combination of performances and interactive events that will showcase performing artists and organizations that can be found in Burlington and the surrounding region.
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Sara Harmer Sarah Harmer was raised on a farm adjacent to the Nelson Quarry.
The popular singer has been part of the organizations that have fought the expansion of the quarry from the very beginning.
She was a major witness in the first application Nelson Aggregates made to expand their license.
 Sample of karst rock – used by thousands of area residents to decorate their front lawns. During her delegation Monday night she said: “So much of what I feel and have concerns about when we started Pearl back in 2005, when we didn’t know much about aggregate issues and quarry and land use issues in general, we sought the advice of renown local hydro geologist Wilf Ruhland and had him come to our place.
“He looked at the map of Mt. Nemo and said: “Do you see all the blue lines emanating from the top of this plateau? Then added he couldn’t think of a worse place to go in below the water table. This is the headwaters of so many creeks and streams, the grindstone Creek, Bronte, there’s so many of them that begin at this high head-water area.
“He also asked us if we knew what karst geology was, I don’t think anybody knew what karst rock meant; he went on to explain that karst is a type of geology that is quite rare and is found in ancient land forms like the Niagara Escarpment. It is rock that has been worn down by millions of years by water to create caves and fissures and sinkholes and springs.
” It’s a place that not even experts can predict where you’re going to impact; it’s like looking at a loaf of sourdough bread. It looks really solid on the top and as soon as you cut into it, it’s just full of holes. The many assurance that Nelson aggregates is giving us as far as well water protection and Source Water Protection is not credible.
 Sarah Harmer’s father, Alan (Clem) and mother Isabelle, who were once described by former Mayor, the late Walter Mulkewwich, as Burlington royalty. Sitting in the front row during the three hour meeting. “Experts have seen the modelling the company used; it is very generic and does not express the complexity of what’s going on at Mt. Nemo. I’m here representing my family who have lived on Mt. Nemo for 53 years this month. My mom Isabelle and my dad are in the audience tonight.
“Years ago I stood at the back of our farm on number one side road with a provincial government hydrogeologist in 2006 or 2007; we were up there on the high ground and he said “What’s this doing here as he was pointing at a pond and said you know this isn’t getting flow from anywhere else. This is not downstream of anywhere. This is happening because of an upwelling through the karst limestone, and you can’t predict where these rare springs and seeps and ponds will pop up out of the rock.
“And you can’t predict what impacts blasting and mining and explosive industrial activity will have. And as you know there are hundreds of wells all surrounding the proposed extraction area, on the west side especially, that’s one of the reasons this is an even worse proposal than the first go round because of the Burlington springs western expansion.
“There are so many residents along Cedar Springs that are in the down gradient to where Nelson wants to expand and the impacts to their wells, the impacts to the meet at Valley and the area of natural scientific interest are unknown and unknowable.
“I want to tell one little story about what happened a couple a couple of summers ago. Imperial Oil wanted to put a diesel pipeline through the right of way at the back of our farm.
“They were right next to the Jefferson salamander habitat, the provincially significant headwaters of the grindstone Creek which is provincially protected. They had to drill underneath this section of the wetland. The hydrogeologists had a lot of experts on the case and they thought they were in solid rock.
“They were drilling a test drill with drilling mud underneath this provincially segment wetland and Jefferson salamander habitat.
“They were wrong. They hit a seam or a fissure, a crack in the rock that they did not predict. And up came thousands of litres of drilling mud and fluids, bentonite and a whole bunch of other combined fluids many meters away from where they were drilling into this provincially significant wetland.
“They had to alert us, they had to alert the Ministry of Environment. It was an unexpected void in the rock that they came across that then created this major spill.
“Now that’s Imperial Oil who you know put in pipelines all over the place, and yet they missed it. They didn’t understand that on Mt. Nemo you can’t be sure of what you’re going to impact Our well went dry and we have had to use our barn well for the last few decades. Our neighbour’s well went dry on number one side road. We know people on number two side road whose wells have gone dry. The impacts are unknowable, any assurances that the company has been floating are not credible.
 Sarah Harmer performing at an outdoor CORE fund raiser. “The precedent has been established for the protection the land Nelson wants to quarry. Nelson in their plan for the southern edge of the southern proposed expansion area plan to pump and de water into a wetland in the West arm of the Mt Nemo tributary. They want to de water into this amphibian habitat.
“There’s are so many reasons to oppose this project. Decisions made now are among the most consequential in history. We are at a tipping point, as we know, and the compelling evidence has been laid out beautifully before you tonight and in the JART report.
“I would encourage you to continue on the path that Burlington has been on to protect our beautiful and precious world biosphere in our backyard to protect the well water, to protect the endangered species. We have incredible grasslands, prime agricultural soil and forests and wetlands that are sequestering carbon in the north part of our city. Please give it your all.”
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
After asking more people in Canada to donate blood and plasma this summer and despite many answering the call, distribution of blood to hospitals continues to outpace the number of donations being made—especially in Ontario, where nearly half of Canada’s population lives.
“Canadian Blood Services sends Ontario hospitals about 7,400 units of blood per week to treat patients so it’s incredibly important that people donate blood—or other blood components, like plasma and platelets—to prevent patient care from being impacted,” says Dr. Katerina Pavenski, head of Division of Transfusion Medicine, at St. Michael’s Hospital-Unity Health Toronto and member of the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products.
 “When a patient needs blood urgently, there is no substitute. Without it, lives are at stake.”
In addition to serious trauma and emergency care, blood and blood products are a critical part of everyday medical care including major surgeries, medical procedures, cancer treatments and managing diseases and disorders.
“As quickly as we collect blood, hospitals are calling for more. There are simply not enough people donating in Ontario to ensure patients’ needs will continue to be met long term,” says Mark Newburgh, director, donor relations and collections, Canadian Blood Services.
While Canadian Blood Services manages a national inventory and blood can be moved around the country, the national blood system depends on donors showing up across Canada, including people right here in Burlington.
 Andrew Pateman, Vice-President, People, Culture and Performance with Canadian Blood Services. Blood donors in Burlington help ensure hospitals in this province receive the blood they need — including the Joseph Brant Hospital, which needs more than 2,800 units of blood every year. To keep meeting the needs of patients in Burlington and elsewhere in Canada, 658 people are needed to donate blood in the next four weeks at the Burlington donor centre located at 1250 Brant Street.
There are roughly 10 million people in Ontario who are eligible to donate blood, yet only a mere fraction do—just 1.5 per cent of the population.
“Life can change in seconds, and you or someone you love may need blood urgently. It’s up to all of us to ensure we can save lives here at home,” says Newburgh.
Don’t count yourself out. Canadian Blood Services regularly updates our eligibility criteria for donating blood. You may be able to donate—even if you couldn’t before.
Go to blood.ca, download the Give Blood App or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and book an appointment today, tomorrow and in the coming weeks.
If you cannot donate, you can still help save lives in other ways. Visit blood.ca to learn how you can make all the difference for patients and their families. You can also ask friends, family and colleagues to donate blood and share the message on social media.
By Staff
September 19th. 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It is called Alert Burlington, a free emergency notification system created to keep you informed about local emergencies – floods, gas leaks, and accidents that could put you or your property at risk. The City encourages residents and people who work in the city to subscribe.
In case of an emergency, Alert Burlington will send you messages through text, email, or phone calls. It will also give you instructions on whether you should leave your location or stay put.
Since its launch in 2022, there hasn’t been a need to send out any emergency alerts. However, it’s always a good idea to be prepared.
Sign up for this free community alert service by clicking HERE
You’ll need to provide your name, address, and contact information.
Those who are already registered with Alert Burlington should log in at least once a year to make sure contact information is up to date.
 Burlington Fire Chief Karen Roche Fire Chief Karen Roche explains: “When it comes to responding to emergency situations, time is of the essence. Alert Burlington is a tool that helps us connect with subscribers quickly to ensure they have access to real-time information in an emergency. It’s great to see the amount of people subscribed to the platform increasing, and I hope it continues to trend that way.”
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Council Chamber has not see a crowd like this since well before the pandemic was declared in 2020.
They came prepared to clap and cheer – which is a no no in Burlington.
The meeting lasted more than three hours with at least 20 delegations.
Lots to report on – the transcript of the meeting ran to 120 pages. Set out below are pictures of some of the delegators.
We are not going to be able to publish all the delegations – each person was given ten minutes to make their point.
We will provide a few today and follow up with several others later in the week.
 
By Staff
September 19th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was unable to attend three meeting on Monday.
She was ill and remained at home according to a comment made by Councillor Paul Sharman who was chair of a public meeting on the Quarry Monday evening.
There were two excellent workshops held on Monday – participation from the Mayor would have been useful.
By Staff
September 18, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Today there was a special flag-raising at Burlington City Hall.
United Way Halton & Hamilton (UWHH) announced its fundraising goal for its 2023-2024 campaign with a huge nabber setting out the $12.5 million they want to raise this year.
 Banner raised in front of city hall – it’s official – United Way will raise $2,500,000 this year. This year’s campaign theme is “Nothing Matters More” is meant to unite our community, emphasizing the importance of standing together to support our most vulnerable community members.
Together, we can support those facing poverty, mental health challenges, domestic violence, addiction, isolation and disconnection.
 Flag will fly for some time. In attendance for this special day was Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, who stepped in as Deputy Mayor for Ceremony for the flag-raising and proclamation reading, and to Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, Councillor Lisa Kearns, City of Burlington staff . Also in attendance was UWHH President and CEO Brad Park, 2023 Campaign Cabinet Chair Matt Wickham, UWHH VP of Marketing & Communications Kristen Jacob.
Now where does the money raised go?
United Way Halton & Hamilton is accountable to donors and the community. Donations are overseen by staff and a volunteer committee of professionals, who ensure that it is making the biggest difference possible.
They strive for administrative and fundraising costs to represent 23-26%.
The audited financial statements for the 2022-2023 fiscal year highlights that we were able to keep these costs below the targeted range, at 22%.
UWHH takes pride in their ability to keep their operating costs well below the 35% threshold identified by Canada Revenue Agency.
They work strategically to keep Fundraising and administrative fees low by working with volunteers and retaining sponsored employees from community workplaces.
The investments the United Way makes are based on the evidence they gather which is set out in the Impact report they prpduce every tear.
We’ll tell you more about that later in the campaign.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The federal government returns to the House of Commons today – they think they have found a way to deflect the heat they are getting from the public – they are going to invite all the head honchoes of the supermarkets that are reporting significant profit increases and let them know that food prices have to come down.
It will be interesting to learn how that works out.
NDP Leader of the Opposition Marit Stiles in a soybean field in the Greenbelt. Next week the provincial government returns to the Legislature where to Ford government is going to have to answer a barrage of questions from the opposition. The NDP Leader of the Opposition has been doing a superb job – the two investigations that have put the government in a very tight spot were the result of letters that Marit Stile wrote.
There is some doubt that she will ever be asked to form a government but she deserves huge kudos from the people of the province for the job she has done.
In practice the approach is to wait until the other shoe falls – in the current situation both shoes have fallen – should the RCMP decide that an investigation is necessary to determine if there have been criminal acts – watch how messy this gets.
 If you’re in trouble and don’t want to talk about this issues – a photo op will keep you in the news. Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre hard at work.  The Progressive Conservative rank and file are having a tough time over what many think is an attempt to make the Greenbelt a location for some of the badly needed housing.
The public is hearing nothing from the MPP’s – they are saying nothing. On September 13thand 14th Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre took the photo op route – not a word from her on the Greenbelt issue.
 By Staff
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
They have positioned the event is as the ultimate art bash with a pricey ticket
It is described as exciting evening devoted to contemporary art and thrilling entertainment.
The event promises to be an unforgettable experience, featuring electrifying digital performances, DJ sets that will make you want to dance, and enchanting mystical encounters.
They don’t want you to miss out on this one-of-a-kind adventure as the gallery transforms into a pulsating extravaganza for one night only.
The event runs from7:00 pm to midnight – this event is 19+
Tickets are $200 a pop and are avaiable right HERE
A portion of your ticket is tax receiptable and your tax receipt will be sent following the event.
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Here is what is happening in Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Pickering, Clarington – will it be any different in Burlington, Milton and Oakville.
 Ajax and Clarington are not unlike Burlington – the tax experience there is what Burlington might be looking at before the end of the year. Durham Region chief administrative officer Elaine Baxter-Trahir and commissioner of finance Nancy Taylor both warned that 2025-28 could see high property tax increases for years to come.
The pair of senior Region bureaucrats delivered a whopping recommended increase of 9.75 per cent to the Region’s finance committee on Tuesday morning, made up of a 2.50 per cent increase alone to the Durham Regional Police Service — including 76 new positions, 20 of which will be front line officers — and 7.25 per cent for other increases.
The bottom line is that for an average house assessed in Durham Region in 2023 at $483,100, the property owner will pay an additional $301 in 2024. As the Region represents 52 per cent of the property tax bill, the real increase for property taxpayers will be 5 per cent, but that will be blended with the local municipal tax increase you’ll receive.
“A very difficult message to communicate is that this is not just a one-year levy increase,” said Taylor.
“We have been suggesting for many years that the funding model between the province and federal government and municipalities has needed to be addressed and is finally coming all to a critical point at the same time,” she said of the large increase.
For the people of Burlington – This is the time to let your city Councillors know what you are prepared to pay for and not prepared to pay for.
This year the budget will be presented to the public by the Mayor and be known is as the “Mayor’s Budget”.
Related news item:
Can Mayor Meed Ward learn how to stop spending?
Mayor working on her strut
By Pepper Parr
September 18th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Now we know.
The numbered company is Nelson’s land division.
Bestway TV and Appliances is the company that owns Burlington Springs golf course.
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