 By Staff
January 12th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
In this survey of new and recent works, multidisciplinary artist Caroline Monnet centers geometries, especially the cube, to draw attention to how different spatial relationships condition the way that we live and think.
The Monnet work will be on display in the Lee Chin Gallery on January 13th.
 The Room (2023), a ten-foot square construction of industrial-grade styrofoam. Monnet’s practice moves between textiles, photography, sculpture, and film to address the complexity of Indigenous identities and bilateral legacies, drawing from her Anishinaabe and French heritages.
In her work, traditional Anishinaabe sacred geometry transforms and softens the industrial into something more personal, constructing a new point of view—centering the cube. As a form, the cube is present in architecture and many traditions of building, shaping the way we understand the world and dictating the ways in which we live, play, and learn. And, like the repetitious creations unfolded in birch biting, Holding Up The Sky follows a symmetrical continuum.
The exhibition features her new work The Room (2023), a ten-foot square construction of industrial-grade styrofoam, a material used in residential buildings to create water and air-resistive barriers and insulate against inclement climate conditions. The Room is open on one side, exposing the box and welcoming the audience into its constructed space.
The foam is incised with a repetitive pattern; the motifs, inspired by traditional Anishinaabe iconography, break the strictness of the industrial square form by introducing the personal and the poetic into architectural rigidity.
 By Staff
January 11th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Art Gallery has released their Winter2023 programming that is now open for registration.
Courses & Workshops
 Clay Dates: Friday, January 20 and Friday February 24, from 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Youth Drawing Fantasy Figures: Saturdays for 6 weeks starting January 28
Youth Storytelling Through Sculpture: Saturdays for 6 weeks starting January 28
Youth (Teen) Clay Studio: Saturdays for 6 weeks starting January 28
Adult Introduction to Wheel Throwing: Thursdays for 8 weeks starting February 2
Adult Fun & Functional Pottery: Saturdays for 8 weeks starting January 28
Adult Painting Fundamentals: Thursdays for 8 weeks starting February 2
Adult Drawing from Observation: Thursdays for 8 weeks starting February 2
Adult Weaving Basics & Beyond: Tuesdays for 10 weeks starting January 31
Families
 Family Open Studios: Sundays for 8 weeks starting January 15
Family Day Fun: Monday, February 20, from 10 AM – 5 PM / Free Activities
Drop in Collage Party with Charlie Star: Sunday, February 19, from 1 – 4:00 PM
Book Swap Event: Saturday, March 11, from 1 – 4:00 PM
Camps
PA Day Camp: Friday, January 17 and Friday, February 17, from 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
March Break Camp: Monday, March 13 to Friday, March 17, from 9 AM – 4:00 PM
 By Staff
January 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board is hosting additional for parents/guardians in January.
 Covering specific topics based on feedback from parents/guardians, each session will be led by a mental health expert in that area who will share their knowledge and provide helpful information and resources.
Sessions include:
• Supporting Gender Diverse Students – Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 6:30 – 8 p.m.
• Mental Health, Well-Being and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)* – Thursday, Jan. 19 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
*Note: This is a repeated workshop offered last year.
Registration is required for these sessions: space is limited. Parents/guardians can register by completing the Mental Health & Well-Being Information Sessions Registration Form. Sessions will be held on Google Meet, where closed captioning is available in various languages. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the session. Sessions will not be recorded.
Parents/guardians will have the opportunity to submit questions when completing the registration form or during the session. The Board’s Mental Health & Well-Being webpage has information for parents/guardians and students on mental health, ways to support positive mental health and well-being, and how to get additional support at school and in the broader community.
 By Staff
January 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Are taxes going to be high sky ?
Toronto property taxes will increase by 5.5 per cent, plus a 1.5 per cent increase levy for the City Building Fund in 2023, increasing the bill for the average homeowner this year by $233.
Meanwhile Burlington is working with a 7% increase that shows signs of coming in at something above the 7%
Burlington is scheduled to decide just what the tax rate will be on February 14th; appropriate.
Related news story:
What Burlington readers think about the tax rate.
 By Staff
January 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Halton Regional Council appointed Ms. Lisa Kearns as Regional Council representative to the Halton Police Board for the 2022-2026 term. The Halton Police Board was pleased to welcome Lisa Kearns as our newest Regional Council Board member at the December 22, 2022, meeting.
 Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns with Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen Tanner Ms. Kearns is an elected Halton Region and City of Burlington Councillor (Ward 2), and Deputy Mayor of Community Engagement and Partnerships in her second term. She brings a wealth of experience from various national management positions in healthcare, manufacturing, and advertising, delivering powerful results throughout her career. Ms. Kearns holds an Honours BA in Political Science, enhanced by a business-stream curriculum from the University of Western Ontario, and has obtained the Institute of Corporate Directors designation.
At Burlington City Hall, Ms. Kearns serves as the Budget Chair and is the Council liaison to many advisory committees. She also serves on the Board of Directors for several local organizations, including Burlington Food Bank, Burlington Downtown Business Association, Burlington Public Library, Art Gallery Burlington, and Burlington Sound of Music.
About the Halton Police Board
The Halton Police Board is a seven-member board that provides strategic governance to the Halton Regional Police Service. It is a provincially mandated legal entity that operates independently from the Regional or Municipal Council. As such, it is the Board’s responsibility to ensure the residents of Halton Region receive adequate and effective police services following policing standards issued by the Province. In essence, the Board is the trustee of public interest regarding the provision of all police services in the community.
 By Staff
January 10th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Note from a reader: Just saw your piece on the importance of Ontario wetlands, and wanted to share a report that really demonstrates the value of Grindstone Creek watershed (and watersheds in general). Our organization, the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, partnered with the Cities of Hamilton, Burlington, Conservation Halton, the Greenbelt Foundation and Royal Botanical Gardens on this project.
We’ve gotten some pick up of the report as a story in Water Canada and TVO, but local news and interest is always the most powerful, especially now that this report and recommendations are with Councils.
At a time when Ontario’s Greenbelt is eyed for development, a new report demonstrates that natural assets in Grindstone Creek are extremely valuable in addressing local flood risk, but these costs will be thrust onto communities if protection of the watershed does not become a priority.
 The Grindstone Creek watershed and its sub-watersheds are located partially within the Cities of Burlington and Hamilton and the Regional Municipality of Halton. 91 km2, the watershed is also a part of Ontario’s Greenbelt, and contains the greatest diversity of wildlife of any Canadian Forest Zone, including species found nowhere else in the country. The Grindstone Creek Watershed Natural Asset Project is the first of its kind in Ontario, bringing partners from across jurisdictions to address their shared watershed. The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI), with support from the Greenbelt Foundation, partnered with the Cities of Hamilton, Burlington, Conservation Halton and Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) to explore the value and condition of natural assets in Grindstone Creek and to incorporate them in local financial planning and asset management.
The report finds that the estimated value of stormwater management services alone is equivalent to over $2 billion in engineered infrastructure replacements, not including operational costs. The watershed also provides an annual service value of approximately $34 million in co-benefits, including recreation, erosion control, habitat biodiversity, atmospheric regulation, and climate mitigation.
“This project makes clear the vital importance of the infrastructure and non-infrastructure services provided by natural assets in the Grindstone Creek watershed — and a path to protect them as core assets for the long-term,” says Roy Brooke, Executive Director of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative. “Although we can’t reduce nature to a simple dollar figure, this shows the enormous financial value of services communities are getting from nature. Protecting these assets avoids taxpayers getting stuck with a far higher bill to replace services that nature gives us already,” he added.
Flooding is Ontario’s most costly natural hazard, and with strains from ageing infrastructure and tight municipal budgets, the value of pre-existing, climate-resilient infrastructure will only increase.
“The Greenbelt Foundation is proud to support the Grindstone Creek Watershed project, which shows the tremendous potential of a community effort to deliver cost-effective municipal services that enhance our towns’ and cities’ ability to mitigate growing risks like flooding,” says Greenbelt Foundation CEO Ed McDonnell. “The report by MNAI affirms the substantial economic value of critical natural assets, the importance of integrating this knowledge into municipal planning, and it is further proof that the Ontario Greenbelt is one of our greatest resources to address urbanization and climate change.”
In the report, MNAI identified two immediate actions needed in the Grindstone Creek watershed: restore high-risk priority areas to avoid loss of natural assets; and commit to improving governance and collaborative strategies long-term.
 Hassaan Basit, President of Conservation Halton. “If we’re going to effectively tackle resource issues, like flooding and erosion, we need to use science and data to better understand how our watershed functions and reacts to different stresses, like climate change,” says Hassaan Basit, President of Conservation Halton. “With this understanding, Conservation Halton, municipalities, and other partners can work together to find cost-effective ways to respond to today’s changing environment. By recognizing that what happens upstream affects what happens downstream, we can help to prepare and protect for the future.”
Results and recommendations from the project have gone to the respective Councils and Board Members of Hamilton, Burlington, Conservation Halton and RBG for their consideration, with further discussion to take place early in the new year.
Meanwhile the provincial government passes Bill 23 that that brings about changes in several pieces of legislation that impact what happens to the creeks.
By Staff
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Enjoy the gift of Real Estate investing is the way the Rocca Sisters explained a Workshop they are offering anyone interested.
Free as well.
The “sisters” have opened up new offices on Brant Street, right across from Joe Dogs. They call it their head office – I see it as the house with the pink chimney
Anyone considering investing in Real Estate will want to pay close attention to any advice they can lay their hands on
Register for the Workshops
By Staff
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Who knew?
During her New Year’s levee, Burlington MP Karina Gould found two demonstrators with a large banner standing in front of her demanding that the federal government not purchase F35 fighter jets.
 Demonstrators disrupt MP’s Levee A group of demonstrators were also outside the Art Gallery protesting the government’s decision to buy 88 of the aircraft.
Gould is reported to have invited the demonstrators a few minutes to make their point – when they decided not to leave the room two men approached the podium to escort them out.
Both were plain clothes RCMP officers
So – Karina Gould gets RCMP protection. How long has this been going on ? In Burlington.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was at the event. Did she also have a security detail?
By Staff
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
A stabilization in reported employee sick time has led to a decision by the City’s senior leadership team to ease and adjust some of the temporary health and safety measures introduced for its employees on Nov. 28, 2022.
 City manager Tom Commisso Effective Jan. 9, 2023, City employees are no longer required to wear a mask in City workplaces. The temporary measure was in place for six weeks and expired on Jan. 8, 2023.
An approximately 44% increase in employee sick time was having a significant impact on the wellness of City staff and service delivery operations.
As of Jan. 9, 2023, this masking requirement is no longer in place.
The leadership team anticipate continued challenges through the winter. Masks continue to be strongly recommended indoors and will continue to be provided to City staff and the public at City facilities.
By Staff
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
We’ve taken a slightly different approach and are using graphics to tell the budget story.
We are sharing with you the material that will be presented to council today.
The first is a graph showing what tax increases have been and are expected be going forward.
 Were the budget numbers for 2023 discussed or debated during the October election? Do you recall an opportunity to talk about tax increases during August and September?  Assessment growth has not been what it has to be. Prior to 2023 the city was not collecting what it should have been collected from the development community. It will rise in 2024 and be where is should have been by 2025 – will the current council get returned at the end of this term with numbers like this?  The Operations campus is a gotta have. The Skyway Community Centre and the Bateman High School “adaptive re-use” are projects the city is going to take on a lot of debt. we note that the Mayor hasn’t said much lately about buying the LaSalle Park property owned by the city of Hamilton.  The significant increase in debt that started in 2022 is going to be with us for a couple of years. We didn’t have this amount of debt in the Goldring years.  Where the money comes from on the left (taxpayers are the source for most of it). How Capital items are paid for. Development charges and Parkland dedication are no longer as certain as they were in the past. Combined those two are higher than the debt that is going to be taken on.
By Staff
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Getting it right and listening to the people that pick up the tab has been a consistent theme during the early days of this year.
 Served as a senior executive with IBM and serves with passion as a Lions Club member. Perry Bowker sent us the following on right and wrong in 2022
Right: The re purposing of the Bateman school. Wrong: the general lack of transparency to questions being asked by the public about the deal.
Right: Rulings by the Integrity Commissioner. Wrong: again, some lack of transparency, especially the perception that the IC itself has a conflict of interest
Net: Doing good work in a challenging environment, but need to find ways to be more forthcoming about details when asked by public and the media, and not hiding behind lawyer’s recommendations – they will always counsel silence.
This isn’t the first time we have heard this.
Earlier in the week Stephen White in commenting on the 7% tax increase that is heading our way urged city council to “learn to read the room”.
Relayed opinion piece
Reading the room
By Pepper Parr
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
When the six council members and the Mayor meet they have an agenda that usually runs into the hundreds of pages.
Many of the items on the agenda are run of the mill matters – Staff reports that have to be filed. They are placed on the Consent part of the agenda and frequently don’t get much, if anything, in the way of discussion and are all passed with a single vote.
What gets placed on the Consent agenda is usually determined by the Committee Chair in conjunction with the City Clerk
 City Council meeting as a Standing Committee. Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan seldom attended live – he chooses to take part virtually Set out below are the consent agenda items for the meeting that is taking place today.
3.
Consent Items: Reports of a routine nature, which are not expected to require discussion and/or debate.
3.1 2022 municipal election accessibility report (CL-02-23)
This item has attachments.
Receive and file office of the city clerk report CL-02-23 regarding the 2022 municipal election accessibility report attached as Appendix A.
3.2
Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – Transit Stream November 2022 intake (CS-03-23)
Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the necessary agreements and other related documents or by-laws between the Corporation of the City of Burlington and the Province of Ontario, in relation to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) – Transit Stream, should our applications be successful, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel.
 Mayor Meed Ward celebrating the arrival of a new bus in 2020 3.3
Safe Restart Funding Municipal Transit Stream – phase 4 funding This item has attachments.
Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of The Corporation of the City of Burlington the transfer payment agreement, and any other ancillary document (s) or amendment(s), between the City of Burlington and the Province of Ontario regarding the Safe Restart Funding Municipal Transit Stream – phase 4 funding, to the satisfaction of the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel.
3.4
Senior government funding January status report (CS-05-23)
Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the necessary agreements and other related documents or by-laws between the City of Burlington and the Government of Canada, in relation to the National Resources of Canada Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), to the satisfaction of the Executive Director of Legal Services and Corporation Counsel.
3.5
Transforming design and delivery of services – evolution of information technology services (ITS) department – Burlington digital service (BDS) (IT-02-23)
The Gazette dud an article in this – the size of the department is a lot bigger than most of the public expected. Link:
Receive and file information technology services department report IT-02-23 providing background information for upcoming 2023 budget requests and supporting design and evolving organization initiative.
 The Court House that handle Provincial Offence matter for all the Halton Region municipalities. 3.6
Halton Court Services 2023 Budget and Business Plan (L-04-23)
Approve the 2023 Halton Court Services (HCS) budget as presented; and
Contribute $50,000 from net revenues to the capital reserve fund during 2023 to ensure that requirements of the Capital Reserve Fund Policy are met; and
Withdraw $69,000 from the capital reserve fund for computer hard/soft replacements for the computer renewal program; and
The city and its partner (the other Regional municipalities) are asking Ministry of the Attorney General for more Justice of Peace appointments and for those appointments to be in a more timely fashion in an effort to provide a solution to the severe lack of judicial resources.
How much of this stuff needs debate?
Any member of Council can ask that an item be taken off the Consent agenda and debated just like all the other agenda items.
 Anne Marsden, a regular delegator who isn’t always welcome at city hall. She can be difficult, she is persistent, she can be annoying but the city is better off with her than without her. Know about the role she played in the C-Difficile outbreak that resulted in the death of close to 100 people Anne Marsden points out that “Past Councils would remove the item from the Consent Agenda as soon as they knew there would be a delegation. This Council refuses to do that which I maintain is contrary to Procedural By-law .”
She was planning to delegate in the 2022 municipal election accessibility report but had not filed a delegation request to the Clerk because she did not yet have information she needed to complete her delegation because information she had requested from various people, including the City Manager and the City Clerk on November 30th, 2022 has not yet been received.
While this council has gotten into the habit of talking the talk when it comes to the matter of delegations – it does not deliver. It is quite prepared to run rough shod over people that ask questions about matter they see as important.
More often than not councillors do not ask questions of the delegations. To be fair there are numerous occasions when there is some very robust back and forth between a delegation and members of council.
Anne Marsden has a passion about accessibility and is concerned that some people were not able to vote due to accessibility issues.
She wanted to delegate but she may not get that opportunity today. She could return and delegate to council later in the month.
Situations like this do not speak well of a council that uses the words accountability and transparency but regularly fails to deliver.
 By Stephen White
January 9th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
City council begins deliberating on what the tax rate will be for 2023-24 today. They will formally receive the budget book.
Stephen White, who has delegated frequently on financial matters, did some research on what the tax rate will be for other municipalities.
Cambridge, St. Catharines, Oshawa and Peterborough are comparable in size to Burlington. The proposed property tax increases that have been adopted, or in some cases that are being proposed, are as follows:
St. Catharines = 0.76%
Oshawa = 2.6%
Cambridge = 3.93%
Peterborough = 4%
A starting point of 7% for Burlington is both excessive and unrealistic.
It raises serious questions about the extent to which Burlington City officials actively benchmark key performance indicators with other municipalities.
This City continues to fund a lot of highly questionable, specious and frankly, wasteful initiatives (e.g. rainbow sidewalks, bicycle lanes, art for public property, neighbourhood street festivals, speed bumps, excessive signage, etc.). You cannot expect residents, many of whom are on fixed incomes, to absorb rate increases in the magntiude of 7% when tax revenue is frittered away on this silliness.
If the LGBTQ community wants a rainbow sidewalk let them pay for it. Artists can display their works gratis in public parks without the City having to “foot the bill”. If cyclists want to ride on a public street God bless them and make sure they stick close to the curb. If neighbourhoods want to hold a street festival let them pick up the tab. And most of us can quite easily live without speed bumps every 2 blocks, or ten “no parking” signs within a few hundred feet.
Maintaining this “nanny state” comes at a huge cost, a cost that is increasingly borne by overburdened taxpayers. City Councils in Cambridge, St. Catharines and Oshawa understand that. Hopefully, Burlington’s Council will also finally get the message soon and “read the room”.
When you click on the links below you will be taken to the full budget for each municipality. Caution – they are long documents
St. Catharines
https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/council-and-administration/resources/Documents/Budgets/2023-Proposed-Operating-Budget.pdf
Cambridge
https://www.cambridge.ca/en/your-city/resources/Budget-Documents/2023/2023-Draft-Budget-and-Business-Plan.pdf
Oshawa
https://www.oshawa.ca/en/city-hall/resources/Documents/2023-Public-Package—Print-Version-Dec-8.pdf
Peterborough
https://globalnews.ca/news/9386549/city-of-peterborough-2023-draft-budget-property-tax-increase/
By Staff
January 8th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
 Chad MacDonald runs the Digital Services department If you thought the Planning department was growing at a rapid pace, constantly on the look out for new people – take a look at the size of the Digital Services department.
Roll your cursor over the graphic to enlarge the image. We are working on getting an application that lets us enlarge more.
Yellow are proposed positions
The city administration is moving as much as they can on to digital platforms which in the long run will make for better sharing of information and the collection of data in a digital format. Getting to that point is a challenge.
 By Staff
January 8th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
ACCOB has once again been asked to find some interested community ACCOB members to act as jurors and assist the City of Burlington in choosing successful applicants for their Arts And Culture fund for 2023.
 ACCOB membership posed for a group picture at Performing Arts Centre The form to be submitted is set out below. There is an honorarium to be given to the successful juror applicants.
CITY OF BURLINGTON ARTS AND CULTURE FUND
Call for Jurors
The City of Burlington and the Arts and Culture Council of Burlington (ACCOB) are pleased to announce the creation of the Burlington Arts and Culture Fund (BACF), the objective of which is to provide grants to local arts and culture organizations to foster creativity and enrich how Burlington residents experience and engage with arts and culture.
The ACCOB is formally calling for jury members to adjudicate the artistic elements of the applications for these grants.
 Ancilla Ho Young a member of the ACCOB Board Jury members must be:
- Arts and culture professionals with high standing in the arts and culture community and representative of a wide range of artistic and cultural disciplines
- Knowledgeable and experienced with respect to arts and culture organizations and related issues
- Knowledgeable about the City of Burlington context and the broader arts and culture environment beyond their area of expertise
- Able to articulate their opinions and work in a group decision‐making environment
- Reflective of Burlington’s gender, demographic and cultural diversity as much as possible
Jurors will be required to assess applications in accordance with BACF objectives, the application guidelines and the assessment forms provided. All jurors will be compensated.
Jurors must complete the application form (included below) and send it to the Arts and Culture Council of Burlington at info@artscultureburlington.ca by February 1, 2023. Jury members will be selected by February 6 and must meet and choose a chair by February 10, 2023. Jury members must also be available to meet for assessment of grant applications between February 22 and March 3, 2023.
APPLICATION FOR JURORS JANUARY 2023
Arts and Culture Council of Burlington Submission Deadline: February 1, 2023
Name:
Address:
Contact Phone No.:
Contact Email:
**A panel of jurors will be selected by February 6, 2023 (for a term of one year) and the jury must select a chair from within the panel by February 10, 2023. Jury members must be available to assess grant applications between February 22 and March 3, 2020.
 Councillor Sharman speaking to Angela Paparazzo. Manager of Cultural programs. Provide a brief description of your professional qualifications (125 words maximum):
Describe your experience with arts and culture organizations and related issues (250 words maximum):
Describe your knowledge of the City of Burlington with respect to arts and culture (100 words maximum):
Please list your experience with group decision‐making projects:
Are you available in the months of February and March to sit on the jury? Circle YES NO
If not selected this year, would you allow your name to stand for selection in future years? Circle YES NO
Curriculum vitae is attached?
Circle YES NO
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By Pepper Parr
January 7th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
So just why are wetlands really important?
The Premier of the province wants to permit building on wetlands and has passed legislation that opens up parts of the province to development in places that were believed to be protected forever for the benefit of future generations, permanently off-limits to urbanization.
Established in 2005, Ontario’s Greenbelt, a swath of land that encircles the Greater Toronto Area, is an aggregation of farmland, river valleys and other natural features.
 They are natural and are essential if climate changes are to be effectively managed. Wetlands are the kidneys of the planet. Wetlands have the wonderful ability to remove pollutants from water, thanks to their luscious vegetation. Cattails, for example, aren’t just good for entertainment with seedy fluff that explodes in the wind. These iconic wetland plants are able to capture excess phosphorus and nitrogen, thereby preventing harmful algal blooms.
Even more amazingly, wetlands are able to get rid of 90% of water-borne pathogens. For us, this is crucial as wetlands recharge groundwater, which 26% of Canadians rely on for drinking water.
 Where a natural wetland does not exist some communities are finding ways to create them. Wetlands are now being constructed as natural infrastructure to clean stormwater. Canada’s largest constructed stormwater treatment wetland is located in Calgary, Alberta and is the size of approximately 150 football fields.
In the spring, wetlands are brimming with waterfowl, blackbirds and shorebirds as they nest and raise their young in the safety of reeds, grasses and stones. Not only is it a sanctuary for migratory and year-round birds, there are also fish species, frogs, turtles, muskrats, minks and beavers that are long-term residents. With deer mice and ground squirrels living in the grasses adjacent to wetlands and fish swimming in open water, this ecosystem is a favourite of osprey, eagles and hawks.
Let’s not forget about the itty bitty creatures that wiggle in wetland waters. Aquatic invertebrates, such as dragonfly nymphs and snails form the base of the wetland food chain and are equally as fascinating as other wetland life.
 We know them as broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o’-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper’s reed and cumbungi; their real name is Typha latifolia Wetlands are masters at carbon sequestration
This process sucks in carbon and stores it in wetland soil. Unlike when a sibling hogs all the crayons, we are happy that wetlands hog carbons because it helps to regulate the climate. But, not all wetlands are equally skilled at holding onto carbon. Peatlands, including fens and bogs, collect ‘peat’ or partially decomposed plants and other organic matter (aka a wack tonne of carbon).
When peatlands are drained for agriculture, forestry or peat harvesting, carbon and nitrogen are released as greenhouse gases in the form of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Approximately 25% of the world’s peatand are in Canada alone, with the Hudson Bay Lowlands as one of the worlds largest peatland systems.
Wetlands act like giant sponges
Another wetland superpower is their ability to act like a giant sponge. When the clouds open up and rain pours down, wetlands are able to absorb excess water. This means that wetlands act as a buffer against flooding. Now imagine the reverse situation. It’s dry and the land is parched, wetlands are able to release water back into the environment. In addition to their spongy talents, wetlands act as a protective barrier from storm surges along coastlines.
So much so that the mouth of Riviere du Nord in northern New Brunswick is being converted back to its natural state as a salt marsh.
 Part of the Boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park If we protect wetlands, it means that we get to enjoy all they have to offer! In the summer, they provide endless entertainment for recreational birders, photographers and casual park users with parades of waterfowl chicks and spats between Canadian geese. The water and wildlife can be explored by gliding through the wetland in canoes and kayaks.
Wetlands welcome family activities like pond-dipping to explore and learn about all the little creatures living in the marsh. In the winter, the frozen waters of wetlands can provide a surface for skating while the snow covered grasses surrounding wetlands provide the perfect opportunity to snowshoe and cross-country ski.
The wetlands are now facing real risk as the result of provincial government legislation.
 Parts of the province where the risk becomes very real. Related news story:
Are police investigating the purchase of are pieces of property.
 By Blair Smith
January 7th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
I freely admit that problems of transparency and meaningful engagement exist at all levels of the political spectrum and with each political party. However, I think that the case in Burlington provides a particularly disappointing example. First, at the municipal level the citizen’s voice is intended to be most clearly heard.
 Marianne Meed Ward at the podium during a city council meeting on April 24th, 2013. It is the level of government closest to the people and in which local voice is intended to be strongest. There are no political parties (at least formally) and there are no powerless ‘back benchers’, Cabinet and whipped Caucus. There is a Council, duly elected, and a Mayor, first amongst equals and the bell weather of the administration.
Secondly, our current Mayor and much of Council became such on a wave of populist dissatisfaction with a bureaucratic and deaf City Hall. She (and they) promised not only transparency in what the administration did but true empowerment of the citizen in an engaged partnership.
 Gary Scobie at the podium on December 5th, 2019. Scobie took a hiatus but did delegate in the middle of September on a development in his neighbourhood. Not only has this not occurred, but the situation has arguably worsened. Legitimate and serious concerns are ignored or skilfully deflected with practised “spin”; citizen activists, like Tom Muir, the Marsdens or Penny Hersh, are collectively targeted as nuisances and shut off, their voices silenced.
This Council has a duty to hear and represent all Burlington citizens. They have no right, ethical or otherwise, to selectively choose.
These are only my opinions of course – but they are made in a comments section where observations based on fact are posted for contrary opinions to consider and challenge.
 Blair Smith and Lynne Crosby delegating before council. The facial expressions tell how well that event went. Blair Smith a long time resident of Burlington has delegated frequently. He was involved in the 2018 campaign to elect Marianne Meed Ward as Mayor.
 By Pepper Parr
January 7th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Is there an issue?
Most certainly.
Is there a police investigation?
Not yet – the Ontario Provincial Police’s anti-rackets branch have begun making calls as they work to determine whether to open an investigation into the Ford government’s plan to allow development in parts of the Greenbelt.
 The provincial government’s plan to open up sections of the Greenbelt — a long-protected swath of farmland, forests and wetlands that curves around Lake Ontario — to housing development has generated significant backlash from the public, many of whom want to see environmental protections kept in place.
Questions about the financial implications were raised in November by a joint Toronto Star-Narwhal investigation that found that developers had been buying up parts of the Greenbelt.
In one case, a prominent Ontario development company paid $80 million for two parcels of land that, at the time, could not be built on — only to see that land proposed for development just weeks later. If construction goes ahead, land values could skyrocket.
That’s what is known at this point.
Among the groups that complained — and have now received a call from an investigator — was environmental advocacy group Environmental Defence, which lodged a complaint over what executive director Tim Gray says are concerns that private companies could be making money at the public’s expense.
 Wetlands are a critical part of our environment Background:
The provincial government’s plan to open up sections of the Greenbelt — a long-protected swath of farmland, forests and wetlands that curves around Lake Ontario — to housing development has generated significant backlash from the public, many of whom want to see environmental protections kept in place.
Further questions about the financial implications were raised in November by a joint Toronto Star-Narwhal investigation.
The timing of some deals has raised eyebrows over whether developers were tipped off ahead of time — or whether they just made a well-timed bet.
Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence said: “There’s no public interest argument for why this is being done,” he said. “But there’s very clearly a private interest benefit occurring here to particular landowners, many of which purchased land since the government has been elected.”
Gray says an investigator told him in December that they’re taking the issue “very seriously.” He said he was told that police have received 13 complaints and are speaking to everyone who sent in detailed letters and beginning to review evidence.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police would not confirm that interviews were under way, but said in an emailed statement that the anti-rackets branch “is continuing to review information from complainants to determine if there is any evidence to support an actual investigation.”
Premier Doug Ford’s office did not respond to the Star’s request for comment, but told Global News that the OPP had not yet contacted the government.
In 2018, Ford was recorded privately telling developers that he would open “a big chunk” of the land up for housing should he be elected, calling it “just farmer fields.” But the tape sparked public backlash, prompting Ford to promise he wouldn’t touch the land after all. It’s a pledge he is now going back on.
The plan, officially announced in November, was to remove 7,400 acres from the Greenbelt and add 9,400 elsewhere, though it’s not clear if the new land would have equivalent ecological value.
Ford pitched the plan as a way to ease red-hot housing prices by increasing supply in the Toronto and Hamilton areas, as part of a goal to build 1.5-million homes in the next decade.
That’s an idea that environmentalists such as Gray have pushed back against, arguing that there is sufficient land elsewhere that could be developed, and that keeping what is arguably the province’s biggest natural area is important for food growth and wildlife habitat. Parks Canada has also warned that removing the protected status of some Durham-area land would cause “irreversible damage.”
One more bit of useful information. The attempt on the part of Doug Ford, in 2019, to have close friend Toronto Police Supt. Ron Taverner chosen to become the new commissioner of the OPP
 Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Police Supt. Ron Taverner. Why does it matter? “The OPP can be called in to investigate provincial politicians.
The idea that the police force needs to be 100 per cent independent of politicians is more than a theoretical concern in Ontario. The OPP investigated top aides to both former Liberal premiers Dalton McGuinty (over deleting government documents about the gas plants scandal) and Kathleen Wynne (over bribery allegations surrounding a byelection race). Doubts would have clearly been cast over those investigations had a longtime friend of either premier been running the OPP at the time.
By Pepper Parr
January 6th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON’
The Ontario Land Tribunal issues an order that puts a halt to the plans to redevelop the Waterfront Hotel site.
What was it all about?
There is a short version and a long version of this story.
 Darko Vranich The short version is that the developer, Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc., owned by Vrancorp which is controlled by Darko Vranich.
The owners of the Waterfront Hotel, Vrancor Group Inc., made an application to the city for a change to the Official Plan and a change to the zoning of the property which was on Lakeshore Road at the bottom of Brant Street.
The application was filed (all the relevant dates are set out below in chronological order) on October 22nd, 2021.
The Planning department reviewed the application and sent a report to council saying the application was not complete and therefore should not be approved.
This is where the words “made” and “received “become part of the story.
The City argued that “received” and “made” are different words and that it is impossible for an application to be “made” before it is “received” by a Municipality. The City stated an applicant cannot “make” an application until the Municipality “receives” the materials in support of the application.
And that is where the application ran afoul of the rules.
Because between the date that the development was first filed – and found to be incomplete and the date that a complete application was filed the Minister of Municipal and Housing change a key document – which he had the right to do.
That’s the short version. If you like getting into the weeds – read on.
There are three different levels of government involved in the settling of this issue: The province where the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has jurisdiction.
The Regional government which is required to have an ROP (Regional Official Plan) that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing approves.
The city has an Official Plan that must comply with the Regional Plan
 Located at the foot pf Brant Street on Lakeshore Road, the two towers would have loomed over Spencer Smith Park. The development application was submitted by Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc. to demolish the existing hotel and restaurant and construct a new mixed- use building in a 2-tower format atop a 5-6 storey podium, with tower heights ranging from 30-35 storeys, and associated underground parking.
The arguments as to whether the application was acceptable were heard by video hearing November 1, 2022 before Ontario Land Tribunal member D. Chipman. Regional Municipality of Halton, Bridgewater Hospitality Inc. and The Pearle Hotel & Spa Inc. were part of the proceedings
While the OLT hearing began when the city brought before the Tribunal a Notice of Motion dated October 7, 2022 it was the events that took place much earlier that brought things to this point.
 This was the Urban Growth Centre boundary in place before the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing moved the boundary closer to the Burlington GO station Through the motion, the City was seeking a ruling by the Tribunal that an application “made” under the Planning Act is only “made” once all materials required to be filed with the City
The date the Applications are “made” will determine whether the Urban Growth Centre (“UGC”) policies of the Halton OP apply to these Applications.
 This was the battle ground – a site labelled as ground zero for Burlington by the developers planning consultant. The motion is made in the context of the decision of the Minister to approve ROPA 48 with modifications, pursuant to his authority under the Planning Act. The Minister’s Decision moved the UGC in the Halton OP from Downtown Burlington which included the Waterfront Hotel property, to an area centred around the Burlington GO Station, which did not include the Waterfront Hotel property.
The Minister’s Decision included a transition provision, which deems the UGC policies in the Halton OP continue to apply to applications “made” by an applicant on or before the date of the Minister’s Decision, which was November 10, 2021) If the lands that are the subject of the application (Waterfront Hotel) were within the UGC prior to the date of the Minister’s decision. The development application was deemed to be complete on December 17th.
Chronology:
In August 2020, the City requested that the Region adjust the boundary of the Downtown Burlington UGC to generally align with the lands in proximity to the Burlington GO Station.
February 2021 – Region released ROPA 48 for public review. The draft instrument under consideration at that time proposed to shift the Downtown UGC north and remove the Downtown MTSA with no transition provision for existing applications being proposed.
April 28, 2021 – the City attended a pre-consultation meeting with the Applicant to determine the requirements for complete Applications to facilitate the Applicant’s proposed development on the Subject Property.
May 5, 2021 – a pre-consultation package that was provided to the Applicant which identified materials required to file for the Applications to be deemed complete.
June 9, 2021, and June 16, 2021 – public consultation meetings were held.
July 7, 2021 – Halton Council adopted ROPA 48, which introduces 96 amendments to the Halton OP including Strategic Growth Areas, such as UGCs, Major Transit Station Areas (“MTSA”), Regional Nodes and Employment Areas.
October 22, 2021, Developer files application which included the 29 materials, reports, and studies required. These materials included a Planning and Urban Design Rationale Report, dated October 2021.
October 26, 2021, the Applicant submitted the fees required to be paid to the City in connection with the Applications.
 The Urban Growth Centre was moved north – because of the date that decision was made and the date on which the application to redevelop the hotel site was submitted the future growth in the downtown core will not be the same. November 10, 2021, the Minister approved ROPA 48 with eight (8) modifications, w On
November 10, 2021, the Minister approved ROPA 48 with eight modifications that included the relocation of the UGC from Downtown Burlington to the area centred around the Burlington GO Station which meant the hotel site would no longer be within an UGC or a MTSA..
 Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing The Minister’s Decision was final and not subject to appeal
November 23, 2021 – Burlington staff delivered a report recommending that Council deem the Applications incomplete, since certain required information and materials identified in the pre-consultation package had not been provided to the City by the Applicant. These included: (i) a Phase Two Environmental Site Assessment; (ii) a Park Concept Plan; and (iii) an Angular Plane Study.
November 23, 2021– the City notified the Applicant in writing that the Applications had been deemed incomplete on the basis that not all of the information and materials required by the Planning Act and the Burlington OP had been submitted.
December 17, 2021 – The Applicant files the additional information and materials.
December 22, 2021 – Applicant filed a motion with the Tribunal seeking a determination by the Tribunal that the Applications, as filed on October 26, 2021, were made as of that date.
January 18, 2022 – Burlington Council at its meeting of January 18, 2022, deemed the Applications complete as of December 17, 2021
During the hearing Counsel for the City stated that the Applications did not meet the requirements as set out under the Planning Act, prior to the Minister’s approval of Amendment 48 (November 10, 2021). The City stated its position that the Applications, as required by the Planning Act and the Burlington OP were only “made” once all materials been submitted.
The Planning Act and deems that an application is only “made” once it is complete.
City Counsel outlined that this information and material can include, without limitation, the reports, studies and other documents listed in the Burlington OP.
The City submitted that “received” and “made” are different words and that it is impossible for an application to be “made” before it is “received” by a Municipality. The City stated an applicant cannot “make” an application until the Municipality “receives” the materials in support of the application.
It was the City’s position that the Minister’s Decision, made on November 10th, expressly provides that an Official Plan Amendment application is not “received” until all of the information and materials required to be provided to the Municipality are, provided.
Counsel emphasized that the additional information and materials outstanding were provided to Burlington Council through a Planning Report at its meeting of January 18, 2022.
In its decision the Tribunal said: Having been provided a very thorough chronology of the submissions by both the Applicant and the City, the Tribunal prefers the position of the City and in doing so, grants the Motion.
THE TRIBUNAL ORDERS that the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications filed with the City of Burlington by the Applicant Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc. with respect to its lands at 2020 Lakeshore Road are hereby deemed to have been made on December 17, 2021, subsequent to the decision dated November 10, 2021, of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing approving and modifying the Region of Halton Official Plan.
That was it. To proceed with the development Vrancorp would have to file a new application.
Expect the Tribunal decision to be appealed – in the meantime nothing gets built – no shovels in the ground.
But maybe an opportunity to take a deeper look into just how Waterfront Hotel site can best be developed to keep everyone happy.
Related news stories:
Are there other options?
 By Staff
January 5th. 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
The public got its first look at an all-Canadian electric vehicle that was designed, engineered and built through the joint efforts of our world-class automotive supply sector.
Eastern Canada has a work force that knows how to build cars, the country has the talent needed to design electric cars and, perhaps the most important part is that the country has the minerals needed to make the batteries that will propel the cars.
Not a lot of information at this point other than to say the industry is all in on this effort and tours of the prototypes will be on tour throughout Quebec, Ontario and several sates in America.
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