Speaker series on issues important to Senior Citizens

By Staff

June 3rd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Marion Goard is a Broker with Keller Williams Realty. She heads up an interesting service intended for the Seniors community that is setting out to help people Get the answers to your most pressing questions at monthly seminars and panels.

 

Are you finding yourself continually looking for facts to get answers to your most pressing questions? The Empowered Seniors Speakers Series is a free community service offered to seniors and their families.

Every month, you can attend a seminar or a panel where you’ll gain valuable and honest information regarding topics that are important to senior living and retired people. You’ll leave each event with the ability to make informed decisions, and you’ll meet experts who can provide reliable and current information.

The seminars and expert panels are a community service offered AT NO COST to seniors and their families.

Space is limited, so reservations are strongly encouraged. Click on the registration link or call 905-330-5201 to save your seat for any of the sessions.
Location:
Burlington Central Library (Centennial Hall)
2331 New St, Burlington, ON L7R 1J4
Dates and Times:
All sessions run from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM (doors open at 1:10 PM)
on the second Wednesday of each month, with the exception of October (3rd Wednesday)
The first session will take place on June 14, 2023
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
(doors open at 1:10 PM)

Understanding how your Will, Real Estate law and your Taxes play out on death

Do you know how and when your assets, such as your home or other properties transfer after death? In this seminar, Estate and Real Estate Lawyer Andrea Parliament will outline four methods of transferring assets on death and explain the tax implications of each.

You’ll learn about:
• Joint ownership (and that it’s not quite as simple as your banker may think)
• Designated Beneficiaries
• Secondary Wills
• What happens during probate, whether it’s always required and the tax implications
• Choosing an executor.

Register

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No reservations needed for summer rec and lap swims at Burlington outdoor pools

By Staff

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Nelson Pool

This summer, swimming at Burlington outdoor pools will be walk-in only based on first come, first served where larger capacities can accommodate many of our residents. With the exception of Aquafit, online reservation is no longer needed or available for outdoor pools.

This is a welcome return to pre-Covid service to our outdoor pools.

This summer there will be a return to normal programming hours at all pool facilities. This includes longer swim times for Fun Swims and additional Lap Swim opportunities at the outdoor pools.

Payment for walk-ins will be taken at time of entry.

During warmer weather days, free swims or holidays, outdoor pools may reach maximum capacities which may result in wait times to enter the pool.

Online reservations for all swims except Leisure and Fun swims can be done seven days plus two hours in advance. Leisure and Fun swims can be reserved seven days in advance.

Swim Schedules

For all swim schedules and to reserve online where applicable, visit burlington.ca/dropinandplay.

Swim Passes
Yearly recreational swim and lap swim passes are back in addition to our affordable summer passes. There are different recreational pass options available to provide the best value for swimmers looking to participate regularly.
To view and purchase the passes, visit burlington.ca/passes.

Outdoor Pools
Nelson Pool (4235 New St.) will be opening June 3 with a modified schedule of select weekday morning and weekends until daily programming starts on July 1. The Nelson Splash Park will be available Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. from June 5 to June 30.

Splash Park users can enter through the side gate off the parking lot. The building will be open for washroom use and use of the lobby.

LaSalle Wading Pool and Splash Park (50 North Shore Blvd.) will be opening on June 17, with modified hours of 12:30 to 4 p.m. until June 30 when daily programming begins.

Mountainside Pool and Splash Park’s (2205 Mount Forest Dr.) revitalization will be completed in time for the summer. Reopening plans will be announced soon.

LaSalle Wading Pool

Renee Kulinski-McCann explains:  “By moving to walk-in only for our outdoor pools, people can stay and swim or play all day. For those who prefer a little more structure and assurances, our indoor pools will accept online reservations. Either way, there are lots of great swimming opportunities this summer.”

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Mayor spills the bean on TVO: Bateman is going to cost the city $100 million

By Pepper Parr

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Speaking on the TVO program The Agenda where the subject was who should pay for growth Steve Paiken said to Mayor Marianne Meed Ward:
said:

“I’m willing to bet that there’s a huge chunk of people in your city that don’t think growth is intrinsically good that they love Burlington the way it is right now, and they’d be just very happy. Thank you very much. If there was no further growth to Burlington, what do you do with that?”

Did you just say …

Meed Ward responded:
“Well, what they’re seeing is growth in housing only without thinking about what a complete community is all about. The transit hasn’t kept up with growth. The community centers hasn’t kept up with growth, the libraries the list of things that have not responded to population growth in every city is very long.

“And so what people see is their quality of life has diminished because they’re waiting more in longer lines. They can’t get access to facilities, they go to other places because they can’t get their kids into an arena. And so what we’re doing when we accepted the housing pledge for 29,000 units by 2031, we said we’re not just building housing, and we need the province to help us with those big capital dollars for community centres for transit for parks.

The whole for Burlington, by the way, if we get rid of development charges overnight is  $36 million a year. That’s about a 20% tax increase. So you know, these are not inexpensive costs.

We just bought an old surplus school site for $100 million. we’re renovating that into a community center. These are big things that our community needs and if all the community sees is traffic congestion, can’t get my kids into programs, diminishing quality of life. They’re not going to be happy about growth. We have to make sure that we’re building complete communities,

Paiken came back with: “Did you just say you spent $100 million for an old school?”

Meed Ward quickly added that “ the $100 million was to buy and convert the former Bateman High School – but this is the first time the public has heard that number.

Mayor tells interviewer the city will spend $100 million for Bateman High school property. Councillor Stole told the public that the cost was going to be $50 million and got smacked with a five day pay fine. What does the Mayor get for blabbing away that the city will spend $100 million ? Re-elected?

When Councillor Shawna Stolte told the public that the cost was going to be $50 million she got smacked with a fine of five days’ pay because the information she shared was discussed in a closed session of Council

Releasing number on a TV show seems to be Ok.

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Age to work as life guards has been reduced.

By Staff

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The provincial government is lowering the minimum age requirement to be a lifeguard, assistant lifeguard and aquatic instructor from 16 to 15 years of age to help communities address staffing shortages and make sure pools and recreational camp waterfronts across the province can be enjoyed safely.

This change aligns the minimum age requirements with updated age requirements established by the Lifesaving Society’s certification course.

While the age of new life guards has been reduced they still have to be fully qualified: Instructor watching a class go through the drills they have to be perfect at.

“As school rises for the summer and the weather warms up, we spend more time enjoying pools and camp waterfronts,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
“Lowering the age for youth to become lifeguards creates more job opportunities for youth in a rewarding position that can help keep community pools and recreational camp waterfronts safe.”

These changes come into effect today, on June 2, 2023. As a result, communities will now have access to more lifeguards so businesses and municipalities can hire additional staff ahead of the summer season. Access to more lifeguards will also help operators maintain and expand their hours of operation for public swimming and aquatic lessons.

• Lifeguards must first pass a series of swimming tests and hold appropriate certifications – such as a current lifeguard or assistant lifeguard certificate or a current aquatic instructor certificate – to be able to work safely as lifeguards, assistant lifeguards, or aquatic instructors.

• The National Lifeguard training and certification, delivered by the Lifesaving Society, is the professional standard for lifeguarding in Canada. It certifies lifeguards across the country and is recognized by the province of Ontario for lifeguarding public swimming pools.

• In July 2020, the Lifesaving Society lowered its age requirement for the national lifeguard certificate from 16 to 15 years of age.

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Burlington Green AGM at the end of the month

By Staff

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

BurlingtonGren will be holding their Annual General Meeting June 27th at the Burlington Central Library. (2331 New Street, Burlington)

They will report on the impact they have achieved during the past year, and we will vote in a slate of Board of Directors.

Guest presenter Grant Linney, climate advocate and author, will talk about how he lives lightly on the earth including the renovation of his 1940s home to have a zero-carbon footprint.

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Brock & Sophia: A love story in the midst of the war of 1812

By Pepper Parr

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Ray Rivers has been writing opinion pieces for the Gazette for more than ten years. We’ve managed to scrape together a bit of cash from time to time to thank him for his column. On  occasion I have been able to visit with Ray and his wife Jean at their home in Mountsberg where we enjoy a decent bottle of wine and differ on political issues.

We frequently have a friendly low value wager on who will win and who will lose.

Rivers is a bit of a cynic and sees Trump back in the White House.

He is also a playwright and an actor and is taking part in a production taking place in Stoney Creek from June 9th through to the 18th.

The least we could do is promote the event.

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Not a Pretty Picture

 

By Ray Rivers

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

I recently attended a Pollution Probe event to honour Edward Burtynsky, the Canadian born world famous photographer and artist known for his large format landscape art work. Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, in 2019, received a similar honour for his environmental leadership on acid rain, Great Lakes restoration, the government’s Green Plan and initial efforts on combating climate change.

The stuff we through away has to end up somewhere.

Pollution Probe is generally considered one of the more moderate of the environment organizations. They are not typically known to protest environmental policy by climbing the CN tower or tying themselves to old growth timber and taunting chain sawing loggers. Founded by students and their professors at the University of Toronto in 1969, Probe receives broad support from industry and government as well as concerned individuals.

Probe has an enviable track record in research and bringing together various sectors to a cause. They can point to the banning of DDT; the 3 R’s recycling program; reduced nutrient loading into the Great Lakes; and contributing to the fight against acid rain. Probe is currently undertaking a plastics pollution recovery project in the Great Lakes. Mr. Burtnysky, a soft spoken environmentalist, had recently undertaken an exhibition of his work focusing on plastic pollution. It was a fitting and timely tribute.

The federal government’s commitment to ban the manufacture and importation of a number of single use plastic products, mainly plastic packaging, straws and stir sticks, is in place, though it may take some time before current stocks are depleted. And after that the government’s sights need to focus on the holy grail of plastic pollution – the PET bottle.

Pollution Probe organized a panel to discuss the plastics issue, following Mr. Burtynsky’s address. Notably, there was a representative from NOVA Chemicals on the panel. Nova, a major manufacturer of plastics, is headquartered in Calgary though ownership is offshore in the United Arab Emirates. The debate was cordial; it was clear that in this forum nobody was yet prepared to address the elephant in the room – getting rid of the plastic bottle.

Plastic water bottles

Ethylene, a hydrocarbon gas, is used to produce polyethylene, ethylene oxide, PVC, styrene, and as the name implies, (polyethylene terephthalate) PET bottles. NOVA has a lot to lose were PET bottles the next target, so they talked up their efforts at recycling as a viable solution. But they must understand that those PET bottles raise enough health and environmental questions that banning them for most applications will be the only solution.

For example we all know that you should never leave a water bottle in your car on a hot day since it could leach unsafe levels of antimony trioxide and phthalates, basic building blocks in the production of most PET bottles. And it follows that they probably contaminate what’s inside the bottle to some extent even at lower temperature, and possibly even when frozen.

There is the matter of micro plastics. According to a Penn State study municipal tap water (presumably from sources which also receive wastewater) was shown to contain something like five or six plastic particles per litre of water. But samples taken from bottled water exceeded that by at least 50 times. As the study notes, the researchers are yet unsure about the full health consequences of ingesting that amount of plastic particles; it can’t be good.

Moreover, according to the National Library of Medicine “Almost all commercially available plastic products we sampled—independent of the type of resin, product, or retail source—leached chemicals having reliably detectable [Estrogen Activity] EA, including those advertised as [Bisphenol A) BPA free. BPA is prohibited for use in infant drinking bottles in Canada and the USA. In some cases, BPA-free products released chemicals having more EA than did BPA-containing products.

This type of estrogen is a concern since it mimics or antagonizes naturally occurring estrogens and can produce many biological and adverse health effects in mammals, according to the journal Environmental Health. These include “early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviours, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers”. That should be scary enough to make us want to stop buying plastic bottles used for everything from water to peanut butter.

Finally there is the waste plastic matter, land filled mounds of used bottles and icebergs of plastic floating in our oceans. It is what Edward Burtynsky has captured with his magnificent photography and brought to our attention through his exhibitions.

According to Pollution Probe some 10 million kg of plastic waste enter the Great Lakes each year. Everyone agrees that we should continue recycling plastic. But we all should understand that recycling alone is not enough. It will not be until the plastic revolution is over.

 

Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking.  Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington.  He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject.   Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa.  Tweet @rayzrivers.   Ray Rivers has previously acted as consultant for Pollution Probe and represented the organization at an earlier Congress of the Parties (COP) climate change meeting.}

Background links:

 

Probe Gala –

Burtynsky

NOVA Chemicals

PET

Pollution Probe Great Lakes Plastic Clean Up

Federal Plastic Regulation

Burtynsky Plastic Pollution

Estrogen Activity

EA Effects

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Mayor on growth paying for growth - a TVO production

By Staff

June 2nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

With development being perhaps the most talked about subject in the city, certainly at City Council Mayor Meed Ward took part in a TVO production on just who should pay for that growth.

A link to the TV show is HERE

Meed Ward has been a consistent believe in growth paying for growth.

Interesting conversation worth some of your time

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45 acts are at the Performing Arts Centre during a 366 day season. 

By Staff

June 1st, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre kicked off their new 2023/2024 season last night at the main theatre to a sold out audience.

Dizzy & Fay

Host Elvira Kurt was the emcee for the evening and did a bang up job keeping the event rolling.

There was opportunity for two of the acts for the new season to do a short *live* teaser.

Clerel (from Montreal) wanted to share a song with the audience after walking along our “boardwalk and enjoying our beautiful weather. He sang a French time as he played guitar.

Brian Dean, Executive Director Downtown Business Association with Tammy Fox Executive Director Performing Arts Centre

Later, duo Dizzy & Fay (he’s on piano and she does the vocals – for only original material) and they did a jazzy tune that was met with a roaring applause.

The new season has “something for everyone”.

There’s even a “Pet Theater” where trained house pets perform circus acts. All the pets are rescue animals.

Elvira recommended this one – even if only to see “a cat actually perform and not just groom itself”.

45 acts are listed in the booklet for the 366 day season.

Yes – Dizzy & Fay are playing Feb 29 2024.

There’s ballet, comedy, music, sing-a-long, rock, dance, and jazz on the patio.

And more in the works.

 

 

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Burlington Ontario Health Team Gets its first Executive Director

By Pepper Parr

May 31st, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It was an organization we had not heard of. It came to our attention when the organization announced their first ever Executive Director Kathy Peters. The Burlington Ontario Health Team (BOHT) Steering Committee made the announcement.

Burlington Ontario Health Team Executive Director Kathy Peters.

Peters has been with the BOHT since its inception in 2019 when she was Director, System Collaboration and Partnerships, Kathy has successfully led the co-design, planning and implementation of collaborative health and social care programs and services, digital health initiatives, and population health management planning and evaluation. Under her direction, new integrated care models and programs have been introduced to support seniors care, mental health and addictions, remote care management, and system navigation to support the Burlington community and surrounding areas.

Kathy’s commitment to health equity has supported the development and implementation of a Patient, Family, Community Advisory Strategy focused on principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism. She oversaw the establishment of the BOHT’s Community Wellness Council comprised of Patient, Family, Caregiver Advisors that serves as an advisory council to the BOHT Steering Committee.

“On behalf of the BOHT Steering Committee, it’s a pleasure to welcome Kathy to her new position,” says Eric Vandewall, Co-Chair of the BOHT Steering Committee and President and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital. “Kathy has consistently demonstrated the leadership, skills, and resourcefulness to effectively manage an ever-changing health system environment, and inspire committed engagement among diverse communities, member and collaborator organizations, health professionals, community representatives, and staff. With her personable style, she has established strong working relationships that will help advance the BOHT into the future. We commend Kathy on her accomplishments and look forward to her continued success in her new role.”

As Executive Director, Kathy will provide essential leadership in advancing the organization’s strategic direction, culture, and stakeholder relationships. Responsibilities include the fulfillment of the BOHT mission, vision, and strategic plan, and serving as the lead management staff member for the soon to be incorporated BOHT.

After beginning her career as an Occupational Therapist, Kathy quickly advanced to leadership roles including the Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand, Brant (HNHB) LHIN Strategic Lead of Behavioural Supports Ontario, and HNHB LHIN Director, Planning and Integration. As a believer in continuous life-long learning, Kathy later completed a Masters of Business Administration at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business.

What surprised the Gazette was the size of the network; it is a collaboration of 36 health and social service providers who work together to provide integrated services and supports to meet the healthcare needs of residents in Burlington and surrounding communities.

As one of the first Ontario Health Teams that the Government of Ontario announced in 2019, the BOHT’s goal is to improve timely access to care, integrate service delivery with a focus on disease prevention and early identification, and ensure clients have seamless transitions among healthcare and social service providers. At the centre of this new model of care is the patient-primary care provider, the most enduring relationship established within the healthcare system.

Burlington Ontario Health Team Members

1. Acclaim Health and Community Care Services
2. Alzheimer Society of Brant, Haldimand Norfolk, Hamilton Halton
3. Burlington Family Health Team
4. Carpenter Hospice
5. Songbird Medical(formerly Fairview Medical FHO)
6. Burlington Family Health Organization
7. Halton Region
8. Home & Community Care Support Services (Former HNHB LHIN)
9. Joseph Brant Hospital
10. North Burlington Medical Centre Family Health Group
11. Thrive Group (AbleLiving Services Inc., Capability Support Services Inc., Ste. Peter’s Care Centres, Idlewyld Manor)

Burlington Ontario Health Team Collaborating Organizations and Networks

1. Adapt
2. Aldershot Family Health Organization
3. Billings Court Manor
4. Burlington & Area Midwives Inc.
5. Caroline Family Health Organization
6. Caroline Family Health Team
7. CAMA Woodlands Long Term Care Home
8. Central Burlington Family Health Organization
9. CMHA Halton
10. Central West Specialized Developmental Services
11. Dr. Sunita Goel, Primary Care Physician
12. Epilepsy South Central Ontario
13. French Language Health Planning Entity for Waterloo Wellington
14. Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant
15. Halton Developmental Services Planning Table
16. Halton Region Police Service
17. Hampton Terrace Long-Term Care Home
18. March of Dimes – Burlington Branch
19. Mount Nemo Christian Nursing Home
20. Positive Space Network
21. Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK)
22. St. Joseph’s Seniors Mental Health Outreach Program
23. Stride
24. Summit Housing & Outreach Programs
25. Support House

 

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The Reasons Behind Mobile Gaming's Popularity

By Melinda Smith

May 31st, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

You can be playing the same game with the person sitting beside you – then compare how you each did.

There’s no denying the fact that mobile gaming has surged in popularity over recent years. No matter where you go, you’ll see someone tapping away on their smartphone, trying to defeat an enemy or solve a puzzle. From casual games to complex titles, for many, their phone is their primary source of entertainment.

Game developers have taken note and prioritized releasing games for mobile devices. The titles deliver immersive experiences that were once only possible on a PC or console. Still, that doesn’t explain why mobile gaming is so popular. Keep reading to learn some of the reasons behind the growing trend.

Huge Catalog of Games
One of the biggest reasons why mobile games are so popular is the wide variety of titles available. For example, casino games are some of the most frequently played in the world. People no longer have to organize friends for games nights or travel long distances to play at a brick-and-mortar facility. Instead, technological advances have made it possible for websites like PokerStars Casino to offer all sorts of fun titles that can be played from home. 3 Secret Cities, Ashoka, and Book of Captain Silver, for example, are just a few of the slots titles players can choose from to keep themselves entertained.

Similarly, if battle royale games are more their style, then they only a few taps away from playing games like Fortnite and Apex Legends on their mobile devices. Every video game genre is available for mobile devices, and technological advances have made many of the top games just as fun to play on smartphones and tablets as on consoles and PCs. From puzzles to platformers, there’s something for everyone.

You take the game you want to play with you. This mobility has made mobile  gaming the most popular form of entertainment for millions of people.

On the Go Gaming
Once upon a time, if you wanted to play a video game with decent graphics and sound, you had to do it at home with a console plugged into your TV or PC. Saying a lot has changed over the past couple of decades would be an understatement.

Today, you can take your games with you wherever you go, which is one of the biggest drivers behind mobile gaming’s popularity. If you’re planning a trip, your cellphone is one of the technological devices you won’t leave home without.

There’s no need to make room in your suitcase for your PlayStation 5 or carry your laptop when you can play great games on your phone. Mobile gaming gives people access to entertainment wherever they go, 24/7, and that’s one of its biggest draws.

Cost
When you compare mobile games to PC and console games, the price of entry is extremely low. Thanks to the freemium model, you may not have to pay anything to play. If you have a cellphone, you can download one of the top titles for Android from the Google Play Store or browse Apple’s App Store for iPhone games. Once downloaded, you start playing immediately.

Even if you decide to pay for a top-quality mobile game, you probably won’t spend more than a few dollars on it. On the other hand, the latest titles for consoles and PCs could set you back more than $60. Moreover, mobile gaming doesn’t require players to invest in expensive hardware, saving you even more money. Technology is constantly improving, and we’re getting to the point where almost any game can be played on a smartphone.

Multiplayer Gaming
Gaming was a solitary hobby in its early days. The only way to experience multiplayer fun was to invite friends or family over to your home to play with your extra joysticks. The internet made massively online multiplayer games popular, with many gamers preferring to play in groups instead of completing a campaign on their own.

Mobile gaming has taken this to the next level, allowing people to connect with others from around the world on their phones. Many look for games with a social factor, preferring to compete against others and climb leaderboards.

Whether you play Candy Crush Saga or Fortnite on your mobile device, you’re in for a social experience.

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It's Official - 6.07% of the wards 1&2 voters elected Robbie Brydon as their trustee

By Staff

May 30th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The City of Burlington has declared the official results from the by-election for the seat of School Board Trustee for Halton District School Board (HDSB)  – Burlington, Wards 1 and 2.

Of the 36,119 eligible voters in Wards 1 and 2 in Burlington, 2,193, or 6.07per cent, voted in the by-election.

In accordance with the official by-election results, Robbie Brydon has been elected to the position of Halton District School Board Trustee  – Burlington, Wards 1 and 2.

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Public getting to know a little bit more about what takes place in CLOSED sessions of Council

By Pepper Parr

May 30th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Nancy Shea Nicol: Burlington Corporate Counsel, has rarely been in favour of making legal matters public.

They are getting better at doing their jobs.

For the longest time Council has gone into a CLOSED session and saying precious little about what they are going to talk about.

Pressure from ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns and others appears to have brought about the needed change.

Later this week Council will go into a CLOSED session to talk about:

Confidential legal services department report regarding a litigation matter for 720, 735, 740 Oval Court (L-33-23)

Pursuant to Section 239(2)(e) of the Municipal Act, litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board.

Progress!

This is the development that has their attention.  It is a whopper of a development.

Is Burlington ready for this kind of concentration and height.  Beginning to look like Mississauga ,

One could bet the mortgage payment that most people know that developments like this are going to be built in Burlington.

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Plan B group want to see the Waterfront Hotel development plan go back to one of the preferred concepts

By Staff

May 30th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It’s final. Or at least the folks at Plan B think it is.  They sent the following statement.

The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) recently reaffirmed its January 3rd, 2023 decision that the Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc.’s application was not grandfathered by ROPA 48. While no official withdrawal of the application of 30 + 35-storey towers atop a 6-storey podium development has been made, it is unlikely to proceed without its’ heavy reliance on historical downtown intensification arguments.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for Vrancor!

During the January 27th, 2023 OLT Case Management Conference, Goodmans LLP (Vrancor’s lawyers) stated that they would be reaching out to the City to see if a compromise solution could be negotiated. Our sense is that these discussions have commenced, or will soon.

Where should the City start?

The Plan B people are prepared to live with the Preferred concept that was put forward in March of 2022.

Citizens’ PLAN B strongly believes that any negotiation should begin with Preferred Concept 2022 (PC 2022), which was developed as part of the Waterfront Hotel Planning Study (WHPS) and published on March 26th, 2022. It featured 22-storey (East, tiered) + 21-storey (West) towers both with 3-storey podiums, the latter with a critical 20-meter setback from the West property line (bordering Spencer Smith Park).

PC 2022 was both a reasoned and reasonable design, based on significant input gathered over 5+ years from professional urban planners such as the Burlington Urban Development Panel, the community, and the property owner himself.

The development proposal would have brought a six level podium very close to the edge of Lakeshore Road making that part of the city feel like New York City or worse still Toronto.

You may recall that the WHPS facilitator, The Planning Partnership effectively “mothballed” this report by claiming that they had been coerced by City staff to limit tower heights (still unproven to our knowledge). This does not diminish the merit of PC 2022, in the least. At our request, Ramsay Planning Inc. subsequently & independently computed the development potential of this property with similar parameters to be exactly 21 + 22 storeys. Humm!

PC 2022 actually yields a greater measure of intensification than permitted for the Waterfront Hotel property (FSI of 6.81 versus 5.0, for those technically-minded). This provides an argument to further reduce heights, as does the elimination of a downtown rapid transit hub, and the Burlington OP 2020 permissions of 11-15 storeys on neighbouring properties just across Lakeshore Road. The More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) may have another affect.

This will be a complex negotiation.

Let’s hope the City chooses a negotiator as competent, creative and motivated as the “top gun” lawyer (Osler’s Chris Barnett) they engaged to handle this application at the OLT.

We at Citizens’ PLAN B remain available to assist!

Please leave your comments on our Facebook page or visit the website!

Web site:  https://www.planbwaterfrontredevelopment.ca/

Facebook page:  www.planbwaterfrontredevelopment.ca

Related news story:

What happens to the Waterfront hotel site now?

 

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Waterfront Hotel site – now what ?

By Pepper Parr

May 30th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

In January of this year Goodmans LLP, legal counsel for Burlington 2020 Lakeshore Inc., wrote the Ontario Land Tribunal asking for a review of a decision they had made relating to the Waterfront Hotel site.

The owners, Vrancorp, filed an application to develop the site. The city refused the application as incomplete.

The Vrancorp people appealed the city decision to the OLT.

The OLT found for the city.

That resulted in a request that the decision be reviewed.

To cut to the chase on this. The Tribunal dismissed the request for a review of the decision.

Why was it dismissed and what was legal counsel for Vrancorp expecting ?

This is important for the simple reason that this is the first time the city has won a major case at the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Vrancorp blew it when their planning consultant failed to get all the required documents in on time.

During the time between when the development application was first filed and when the last of the required documents was received the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) issued a statement approving the Regional Official Plan which included the location of the Urban Growth Centre.

Those boundaries were moved further north to include the Burlington GO station property.  The Urban Growth Centre boundaries change was effective immediately.

That decision meant the Waterfront Hotel site was no longer within the UGC boundary.

An application to develop is not complete until all the documents have been received and the fees that are due paid.

There were a few documents that had not been submitted. The city refused the application as not being complete.

Unfortunately for Vrancorp, the MMAH statement meant the Waterfront Hotel location was outside the boundary.

The timing issue is well explained by the OLT when they released their response to a request for a review.

Through the Applications, the Requestor (Goodmans – counsel for the developer) seeks amendments allowing the construction of a new two-tower mixed-used building with maximum tower heights of 35 and 30 storeys and a 6-storey podium at the subject property. The property currently contains a six-storey hotel with restaurant and associated surface parking lot. Prior to the Minister’s decision, the property was within the Downtown Burlington UGC.

The Requestor submitted initial materials to the City in support of its Applications on October 22, 2021 before the date of the Minister’s decision, but failed to include all materials identified in the pre-consultation checklist.

The Requestor then submitted its fees on October 26, 2021. The City subsequently notified the Requestor, on November 23, 2021, that the Applications had been deemed incomplete on the basis that not all the information and materials required by the Planning Act and the Burlington OP had been submitted.

The Requestor then filed the additional information and materials on December 17, 2021 after the date of the Minister’s decision. City Council, at its meeting of January 18, 2022, deemed the Applications complete as of December 17.

A document called a “Disposition” letter contains the following:
Having reviewed the Decision, as well as the record before the Tribunal, I find that the Tribunal clearly and carefully considered the evidence and submissions of all parties before making a determination as to the correct interpretation of Policy 80.3. The Tribunal provides lengthy reasons, addressing the key points of law and chronology of events raised by the City and Requestor, and ultimately agreeing with the City’s position. At paragraph 50 of the Decision, the Tribunal finds:

The hotel is going to be around for some time.

The Tribunal concurs with the City’s interpretation of the complete application requirements in the Planning Act which underscores the critical nature of the moment in time that a complete application is received. The Tribunal agrees that until an application is complete the Municipality will not have sufficient information to make an informed decision. Before that moment, the application is neither complete, made, nor received.

The Tribunal addresses the meaning of the word “made”, within the context of Policy 80.3, throughout numerous additional references throughout the Decision, including at paragraph 24:
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 states an applicant cannot “made” an application until the Municipality “receives” the materials in support of the application.

The interpretation of an official plan is not a factual matter to be decided based on opinion evidence from planners, but rather a question of law. It is the Tribunal’s duty to interpret an official plan in any case before it.

The Tribunal is not bound to accept the evidence of any of the planning experts who appear before it and may come to its own conclusions as to how an official plan is to be interpreted.

The Tribunal simply preferred the position of the City and made a determination as to the interpretation of an official plan, as is within its authority.

The hearing is meant to be a final determination of a matter, subject to the rights of review. A request for review is not an opportunity to rehear the evidence or to relitigate the matter. I see no merits to the claims that the Tribunal made errors of law in interpreting the ROP and Planning Act. Accordingly, these grounds of the Request are dismissed.

I note that the Requestor brought a motion to the Tribunal with respect to this matter as early as December 22, 2021. Had the Requestor employed similar urgency with respect to the MFIPPA (Freedom of Information) request, it may be that the records would have been available to the Requestor in advance of the November 2022 hearing. Nevertheless, I have carefully reviewed the records and have concluded that they would not have affected the outcome of the decision.

None of the records proffered appear to address when an application is “made” (i.e., the question which was before the Tribunal), but instead, in some instances, describe the application process (which is well-known and was before the Tribunal) and, in other instances, refer to some individuals’ opinion or belief as to whether Policy 80.3 applied to the subject property.

As noted by the Requestor, the City (and other parties of like interest) did not submit any opinion evidence with respect to the interpretation of the ROP and, as a result, the Tribunal did not rely on the opinion of City staff or experts in making its Decision. The proffered records can be of little consequence, given that there was no opinion evidence to be contradicted or impeached. The Requestor has failed to demonstrate how this information “call[s] into question the City’s submissions”, which were based on the factual record and law, or how the information would have affected the final decision.

Ultimately, it is the Tribunal’s duty to interpret the official plan in any matter. The Tribunal did so here, after carefully considering the submissions of the Requestor and other parties. I do not believe the information outlined in the Request meets the standard of new information which could have affected the result of this decision under Rule 25.7(e), and I, therefore, dismiss this ground of the Request.

For the reasons above, I find that the Request fails to raise a compelling and convincing case that one of the grounds enumerated under Rule 25 is present in the Decision.

The Request for a review was dismissed.

The Decision OLT-22-003866 remains in full force and effect.

What happens next? The ball is in the Vrancorp’s hands.

Will they file a new application?

The Plan B people had something to say about this.

Related news story:

OLT dismisses Waterfront Hotel review request.

 

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Robbie Brydon wins seat on Halton District School Board

By Pepper Parr

May 30th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Robbie Brydon won the Burlington wards 1 &2 trustee seat yesterday with 64% of the vote.

His first run at local politics the economist should prove to be a welcome addition to the 11seat Halton District School Board Board of Trustees.

Robbie Brydon elected as trustee for Burlington wards 1&2

The unofficial results put Brydon so far ahead of the other six candidates that waiting for the official results isn’t going to change anything.

Brydon walks into a Board that will be reviewing the budget for the 2023-24 school year at the June 15th meeting of the Board.  It will be interesting to see how well prepared he will be.

The school board caters to 64,000 students attending elementary schools and high schools.

Trustees are not paid a salary but receive an honorarium of about $16,000 a year.  The Chair earns about $24,000

 

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Tourism gets a bit of a boost from a federal grant - hard to tell how much of the money will work its way to the local hospitality sector

By Pepper Parr

May 29th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The federal government pumped $300,000 into the tourism sector with the money being delivered through the Tourism Relief Fund.

Two organizations in Burlington were on the receiving end

An additional $5 million was provided to Regional Tourism Organization 3 (RTO3) to support businesses which included this region.

No word yet on what those two organizations will do with the funds received.

 

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Too many Aldershot residents have chosen to be uninformed, uninvolved and have failed to hold the council member they elected accountable

By Pepper Parr

May 29th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

OPINION

Remembrance Day and The Battle of the Atlantic Sunday have always been important to me.

I was a Sea Cadet  as a youth and then served in the Canadian Navy – I was an Able Seaman aboard HMCS Haida that is now tied up in Hamilton.

In 1914 and 1939 we sent young men and women into war; thousands didn’t return and many of those who did, were damaged for life.

Hundreds gather at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day to honour those who served, remember those who did not return and treasure the democracy they defended.

Every November 11th, hundreds of Burlington residents gather at the Cenotaph to remember those we lost, honour their sacrifice and celebrate what we gained – we are a democratically fee nation.

We have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we elect our representatives at the Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal levels. As a nation, we have fought to have the fundamental right to freely select those who will govern us. It is both our privilege and our responsibility to make informed choices and vote.

Over the last two weeks we have highlighted the way the Councillor for Burlington ward 1 manages his personal financial interests and the way he has chosen to represent the people who elected him.  We feel that he is unable to represent his constituents in an open and unbiased fashion. Despite our journalism efforts there is no indication from Kelvin Galbraith that there will be any change. He simply does not seem to understand his conflicted position. There also seems to be an equal problem with his constituents and opponents holding him accountable.

Kelvin Galbraith swearing an oath to serve his constituents.

In the 2022 municipal election the candidate in ward 1 did not tell the voters that he had been advised by the Integrity Commissioner that there would be occasions when he would have a Conflict of Interest due to the location of some of his business interests.  The other 2022 candidate in the ward became aware of the Integrity Commissioner’s report 11 days before the election but decided not to advise voters. To do so would not have been playing ‘dirty political games’ or ‘hitting below the belt’. Rather it was his duty to ensure that the constituents of ward 1 were properly informed before they made their choice. He failed to do so.

The information was made public by a resident who keeps a close eye on civic matters and has made repeated but unsuccessful efforts to hold Councillor Galbraith accountable. He has been confronted with apathy, indifference and, we believe, systemic incompetence.

What Burlington seems to have difficulty with is taking the time to ensure and insist that the men and women they elect are accountable and transparent. We wait until the situation becomes intolerable or uncomfortable, for whatever reason, and vote for wholesale replacements.  It is an all or nothing scenario repeated every 4 years. Or so it seems.

The Gazette has published five articles on election campaign donations.  Those articles have been read by thousands of people.  The Aldershot Insider, a Facebook page, carries a number of comments on the issue – non favourable to the Council member.

The Councillor for ward 1 has chosen not to comment and we were informed that he was advised to not respond.   It’s an old issues management truism that when you have a fiery issue you don’t provide it with oxygen. Stay silent and it will pass; people always forget.

And that is where we have a real problem. It appears that the truism is 100% true. The reason that our elected representatives are not transparent is that they don’t have to be. In fact, it’s a serious disadvantage to them if they are. The reason that they are not accountable is that we don’t hold them to account.

As citizens we need to exercise our democratic responsibilities – be informed, be actively involved and vote. In the final analysis, Galbraith is the self-made problem of the people of Ward 1.

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.

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Getting to 100 is significant - more than 2300 people will gather for four days to celebrate what Burlington Central High has meant to their lives.

By Pepper Parr

May 28th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The pandemic changed almost everything including the 100th anniversary of Burlington Central High School. The pause hasn’t made much of a difference.

Celebrating 100 years of existence is a big deal.

That is what Central High School will be doing between June 1st and 4th

In 1922, William Lyon MacKenzie King was the Prime Minister of Canada, Ernest Drury was the Premier of Ontario, and Frederick Banting & Charles Best developed insulin treatment for diabetes. Lincoln Alexander was born in Hamilton in ‘22 – he would become Canada’s first black MP and Cabinet Minister and eventually the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

At the same time, what was then known as Burlington High School welcomed its first students to a building that had five classrooms open for fewer than 100 students. Over the years, the school’s name has changed several times, but the strength of the community has not.

It was a big deal when it first opened. It was a bigger deal when there was a move to close it – and it is an even bigger deal for the 2300 plus people who will take part in the reunion events

For the more than 2300 people taking part in the reunion event, it might be the first time they have seen each other since the 75th anniversary. More than a two decades of catching up to do.

The Central Reunion is much more than a catching up. They are celebrating a unique institution that was a critical part of the evolution of the city.

The four day event is packed with activities.

Thursday will include sports activities, Career Day and social events for current and former staff. The sports events are a reflection of how change takes place – the pickle ball event is now closed – all the court time has been taken up.  Pickle ball hardly existed when the graduates met last for the 75th anniversary.

Dinners have been set up for four different time frames – one can imagine the conversations that will take place.

Teri Ruf, former principal of Burlington Central High School and co-coordinator of the 100th anniversary reunion.

The Reunion work is headed up by Terry Ruf and Todd Ford; both were staff members at Central before they retired; one a principal and the other a department head. They head up a team of 24 people that field all the questions and make sure that things that weren’t quite right the first time are right the second time

Central has what every first high school in any community had – it drew from a catchment area that included students from farm families on Maple as well is as those who lived in what we call the downtown core today.

In the beginning schools were a municipal responsibility; when new space was needed they had to appeal to what was then a Town Council – and they didn’t always get what they asked for.

Burlington was of course a much small community.  The QEW didn’t even exist then

There is an event, takes place on the Friday, called the Alumni Career Day, where graduates who went on to build a business will be on hand to tell students what it was that made them the success they became. Wonder what Steve Cussons will have to say to these students about the printing business – a sector of the economy that has changed as much as the high school. The best advice any successful business or professional person can give these days is:  be nimble.

What would become, for a period of time, as the transit service for the city, started when C. H. Norton used what might have been a truck to transport rural students to the new high school.  The story goes that he eventually bought a Pierce Arrow limousine that could carry seven passengers and grew that into the first transit service the city had.

A wall on the second floor of the school memorializes those who were lost.

One of the unique aspects of Burlington Central is the board and portraits on the second floor that commemorates those former students who served in the two World Wars -particularly those who perished during their service.

Some will perhaps feel a connection because the name of a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle is memorialized on the Board of Honour, or you may just want to honour those brave men and women for their service.

On the closing day of the four day event there will be a ceremony at the Cenotaph in Veteran Square to celebrate the memory of a very special group of Burlington Central alumni.

Burlington’s population shot up in the mid to late forties with immigrants from war torn Europe coming to Canada.  Central was for a time an ESL – English is as a Second Language school.

Over time it became a school that had a strong drama department that has continued to grow.  There is now a tradition, more than just a tradition in the hearts of the students who are on stage or backstage building sets or promoting an event  – a sense that they are carrying that tradition forward and enriching it each year.

But the history of the school and what it has done is not what the reunion is about. It is about the people who attended and were shaped by two building that were mere yards apart.

For those who attended Central Public School and then moved on to the high school meant, for thousands, spending at least ten years of their lives in a very small area.  Add in JK & SK and you get to 12 years – no wonder memories are so strong.

Mature trees frame the front entrance of the oldest high school in the city.

Those who put themselves in the 40 to 50 cohort will have the most to look back on, reflecting perhaps, on how well they did and how well their children are doing.

Expect a lot of rejoicing, remembering and reflecting.

Marriages, divorces and deaths will be part of the conversations as people who have, for the most part, done well.

Will anything be different when it is all over? You never know with human beings do you

2,300 people have registered for the event.  Co-coordinator Terry Ruf expect that number to rise to 2500 before things begin June 1st.

Day by Day

Thursday

Career Day for current students featuring alumni speakers

Co-Ed Alumni Athletics:

    Golf Tournament  (now closed)

    Hockey  (now closed)

    Volleyball  (now closed)

    Basketball  (now closed)

    Pickleball  (now closed)

Former & Current Staff Social        

Friday

Friday, June 2

Friday Evening Marquee Tent Event

Music Theatre Performance

Saturday

Saturday Daytime School Events

    Opening Ceremony

    School Open House (call for memorabilia)

    Family Fun Fair & Lunch

    Meet the Staff

    Music Theatre Matinee  

Saturday Evening Decade Events

    40’s/50’s

    60’s/70’s

    80’s/90’s

    2000’s

Sunday

Sunday Memorial Event – 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Cenotaph in Veteran Square

Breakfast – 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria

Many will take part in the Sunday breakfast recovering from the Saturday evening events. They will want to once again join their friends and take one more tour of the school for “old times’ sake”.

Closing Ceremony – 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Auditorium

The concluding celebration of the 100th Anniversary Reunion is a chance to say goodbye until we they come together again in 2047 for Burlington’s Central’s 125th Anniversary!

 

 

 

 

 

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A flood plain that no one knew much about impacts development applications at the intersection of Brant and Ghent

By Pepper Parr

May 28th 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The City of Burlington recently completed a Phase 1 Flood Hazard and Scoped Stormwater Management Assessment for downtown Burlington and the Burlington GO Major Transit Station Area (MTSA).

The Phase 1 study revealed a flood hazard in the Lower Rambo watershed that is greater than previously understood.

A Phase 2 study is currently underway to further refine the flood hazard mapping, but the Phase 1 study is considered the best available information for decision making when development is contemplated in hazardous areas.

Under Ontario Regulation 162/06, Conservation Halton regulates all watercourses, valleylands, wetlands, Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay shoreline, and hazardous lands, as well as lands adjacent to these features.

Map that came out of the Phase 1 study.

The purpose of the regulation is to protect people and property from the risks associated with natural hazards and to prevent worsening of existing hazards or the creation of new hazards. Conservation Halton’s regulation now applies to identified flood (i.e., floodplain and spill areas) and erosion hazards, as well as a 7.5 metre regulatory allowance, in the Lower Rambo Creek watershed.

Permission is required from Conservation Halton to develop in these areas.

The Molinaro Group have a development before the Planning department to build on three of the four corners at Brant and Ghent.. The issue of a flood plain that few new much about is now relevant with climate change impacting almost everything.

This matter came before Council some time ago but there has been no news since.

The developer with the most risk is Molinaro who have a development that is located on three of the four corners at Brant and Ghent.

At a Standing Committee meeting the Molinaro planning consultant said the Molinaro people were aware of the Phase 1 report and believed they would be able to do whatever was necessary for their project to be safely completed.

Every one is waiting for the Phase 2 report.

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