 By Staff
September 2nd, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The announcement from city hall billed the event as “Public engagement opportunities for Burlington’s woodlands” The City wants to once again engage its citizens.
They are looking for input to help inform a Woodland Management Strategy (WMS) that will for the first time, provide comprehensive 20-year strategic direction for the management of all City-owned woodlands. These woodlands cover more than 300 hectares of land.
Ultimately, the WMS will help preserve and grow the city’s woodlands and will provide:
• information on the current state of Burlington’s woodlands
• a long-term vision for the City’s woodlands
• city-wide woodland management goals, funding requirements, recommendations, and targets
• forest management plans are operational documents guiding management activities for specific woodlands within the bounds of the WMS
 The city wants a long term plan to maintain property like this. Residents can learn about the project and provide feedback that will inform goals, targets and funding priorities. This includes financial and community investment into environmental protection for reducing floods, invasive species, green infrastructure and reducing our carbon footprint.
There are multiple opportunities for people and professionals to provide input into the plan.
All opportunities are available at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms. Locate a woodland
Visit getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms to submit an area you value in Burlington’s public woodlands, or places where you would like improvements to be made within woodlands.
Residents can upload comments and photos and see what others have posted. The City will be collecting your urban woodland locations now until Sept. 29, 2022.
Virtual Public Information Centre
Attend the online public information centre on Sept. 14, 2022 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to learn more about the state of Burlington’s woodlands and ask questions about the Woodland Management Strategy.
The public information centre will be hosted via Zoom and pre-registration at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms is required.
A caution here. City Council meets on the 14th – the meeting could extend into the evening.
Woodland walk
On Sept. 17, 2022 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the City and the Woodland Management Strategy project team will be leading a walk through Tansley Woods, starting at the rear of the Tansley Woods Recreation Centre parking lot, 1996 Itabashi Way. This walk offers a chance to learn about the current challenges that the City is facing in the management of its woodlands. Participants can also ask your questions about the woodlot management strategy.
Please be at Tansley Woods by no later than 9:15 a.m. on Sept.17; late arrivals may miss the walk. Walking or hiking shoes are encouraged. RSVP your attendance at getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms.
How will the Woodland Management Strategy relate to the Urban Forest Master Plan?
The City’s Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) will provide the strategic direction to manage the urban forest in response to new problems facing urban trees and their management.
While woodlands are an important part of Burlington’s urban forest, the City’s urban forest also includes a range of other urban tree types, including street trees, park trees, and trees growing on private property.
The UFMP will provide management direction related to all of these urban forest components. The Woodland Management Strategy will play an important part in achieving the overall goals and objectives of the UFMP.
 The woods are even more peaceful in the winter. What are woodlands?
Generally, the term woodland is used to refer to groupings of self-seeded trees, growing under ‘natural’ forest conditions. Ontario’s Forestry Act defines woodlands as supporting a density of at least 250 established (20-centimeter trunk diameter) trees per hectare. Groups of trees featuring smaller diameter trees could still meet the qualities of a woodland, consistent with the definition in the Forestry Act, but would also need to feature a higher tree density.
Steve Robinson, Manager of Forestry explains: “The City of Burlington owns and is responsible for the management of more than 300 hectares of woodlands. This Woodland Management Strategy will, for the first time, deliver a coordinated 20-year strategy and supporting management plans for individual woodlands.
The Strategy will offer the comprehensive direction necessary to properly inform management of woodland health and diversity, risk, resilience, and sustainable practices.”
Links and Resources you might want to follow up on:
getinvolvedburlington.ca/wms
burlington.ca/forestry
 By Bradley Elston
September 20, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Learn the main idea and concept of a Virtual data room. What is it and what purposes such software is used for?
Virtual Data Room: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
All sorts of file storage facilities are commonly used to store documents: a personal computer or various systems like Google Drive. As long as files are locked away from prying eyes, they are quite secure. But how to protect them if you need to give access to a limited number of people you don’t know well? For example, confidential documents in various transactions, some financial reports, or documents related to tax or audit audits.
There are many similar examples when it is important to provide access to the documents, on the one hand, and to make sure they are not leaked or the person who leaked them will be found, on the other hand.
VDRs (virtual data rooms) are used for secure data exchange. They allow delimiting rights and access to the documents inside the system, creating a clear structure and organizing easy exchange and work with files both inside the organization (synchronization with AD/LDAP) and during interaction with contractors.
The data room offers a standard set of tools, such as viewing documents, downloading, sending for printing, sharing, etc. Protection of files inside VDRs is provided by differentiation of user rights, control of document lifetime, and logging of events. But the question is how to be sure that the information will not leak into the public domain, and how to identify the culprit in case of leakage.
Check the virtual data room review to get more information about this software.
 The existence of clouds has made it possible for data to be accessed by almost anyone anywhere. With a Virtual Data Room that data is secure – rock solid secure. What is VDR?
A virtual data room is a tool, usually set up for a specific time and purpose, that gives authorized users access to a secure database of documents, according to their permit rights.
Why is It Important to Use?
Initially, virtual data rooms were created as an alternative to physical data rooms in due diligence procedures during mergers and acquisitions. Before the era of broadband Internet access, the familiarization of possible parties to a transaction with documents was as follows:
● The seller would allocate or lease one or more rooms into which folders of paper documents would be taken down, and write down the rent or lost profits from the misuse of the rooms as an expense item.
● A schedule of room visits and paperwork for potential buyers (beaders) was drawn up, which, if their number was substantial, greatly increased the transaction time.
● If the beaders were from another city or country, their representatives went on business trips to world cultural centers and to industrial regions, wasting time on the road and money on higher travel expenses.
But the virtual data room solves the problem of time, cost, and convenience of accessing documents.
Currently, virtual data room services accompany the activities of companies in other areas, from providing information to partners of investment funds to obtaining certificates for medicines, that is, everywhere where it is necessary to provide convenient access to confidential information for a certain circle of people who may be thousands of kilometers away from each other.
How Can a Virtual Data Room Protect the Data?
A virtual dataroom can be used in almost any situation where a company needs to provide simultaneous access to confidential information to several people:
● Analyzing corporate records;
● Creation of document archive;
● Audit;
● Preparation of an initial public offering (IPO);
● Help with mergers and acquisitions;
● Searching and providing information for investors.
The technology works in the following way: any interaction with a document (opening, downloading, sending for printing, sending by mail attachment, etc.) provides the user with a personal labelled copy. The copy is visually indistinguishable from the original, the markings are not visible to the naked eye, and can only be recognized using a forensic tool. In addition to the invisible marking the document is assigned the following attributes: employee ID, time, date, IP, location, etc.
If there is a leakage, the compromised document is loaded into the system and its labelling is compared with the original document available in the system for analysis. As a result, the system identifies the most similar copy and its owner. Thus, allowing you to find the potential culprit of the leak.
Such a solution can be used for critical business events: mergers and acquisitions, audits, and IPO preparation handling the personal information of public persons, as well as for intellectual property protection.
 The name “the cloud” actually describes a room full of servers that hold data and make it available via the internet. While a person is working in the VDR, a system is recording every copy of the document. In case even a small fragment of text of any document stored in such an electronic data room is compromised, the owner can conduct an examination and unambiguously discover the name of the person who published it without consent. Such marking is absolutely invisible to users and nothing changes in their usual processes.
 Market projections for VDR services is very positive. Whether or not to tell employees or counterparties working in such a VDR about the presence of invisible marking is the right of the owner of the virtual room. On the one hand, this can immediately become a preventive psychological measure to protect documents. On the other hand, if the task is to identify an already existing insider, it is possible not to report about the technology.
Conclusion
A virtual room is a space where documents are sorted into folders, and all participants have a certain level of access rights. They can download files, and upload and share them only with permission. This format of use allows organizing convenient collaboration within different business processes.
VDR can save your company time and effort. When it comes to business effectiveness, every feature helps. The use of the dataroom software allows convenient managing of important corporate information and team collaboration. Also, it is more secure than usual file-sharing systems. So VDR is a smart solution for your business.
 By Staff
September 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Everything you need to know about RibFest:
Where
 What a crowd, what a location, what an event. Should you mask – that would be a good idea. When
Friday, September 2, 2022 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Saturday, September 3, 2022 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Sunday, September 4, 2022 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Monday, September 5, 2022 11:00 AM – 07:00 PM
 By Pepper Parr
September 1sr, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been a very useful, productive day for Stephen White.
He had a forenoon call with City Manager Tim Commisso who was in Thunder Bay, his home town, for some R&R during which the two discussed at length a report that White and Julie Martin put together on the coyote problem in eastern Burlington and western Oakville.
 The Burlington, Oakville Coyote Management (BOCM) report set out the nature of the problem and a number of solutions.
The Commisso/White conversation was lengthy, much of which was off the record – as it should have been.
What was on the record was that of the 11 recommendations, five would be accepted and acted upon by the city and six would be referred to others for further review. Some of the recommendations did not fall within a municipalities jurisdiction.
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte  Sheila Jones, second from the right is seen by many as the power behind the city manager. During the afternoon meeting that was also virtual, Commisso, Sheila Jones, who White saw as the power behind the city manager, the Mayor and a number of staff people well as Councillor Shawna Stole who was fully engaged in the conversation.
An example of a Councillor doing a Councillor’s work
The group decided that there would be a report to be made public on Friday (which is a very fast turn around) and discussed at the Corporate Services,Strategy, Risk and Accountability Standing Committee on the 14th.
White said he was surprised that the group went along with as much as they did adding that “if they do everything they said they would do in the meeting we will have succeeded.”
We now wait for the report.
 Take a break and have a fun weekend. The only down side is that it will come out on a Friday, usually a slow day – people want to enjoy the last long weekend of the summer and a chance to get out and enjoy RibFest and get used to whatever the new normal is going to look like.
It was a good day for the city, a good day for Stephen White and Julie Martin and a good day for Tim Commisso who had a problem that had gotten out of hand.
Commisso is reported to have reached out to the City Manager in Oakville to create a Task Force with the two CEO’s working together.
By Staff
September 1st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Tony Brecknock out on the street An election that has yet to get any traction; coyotes where they were never seen before and a Rib Fest that starts on Saturday.
We know most, if not all, the candidates will be out in force – no word on the coyotes.
 The Brecknock campaign – works the intersections Every candidate develops their own style. Tony Brecknock is running a very lean campaign and has decided to put his team at major intersections in the city on different days of the week – this morning they were at Mainway and Walkers Line with two people at every corner holding signs at each corner of the intersection.
Tony would walk from one corner of the intersection to the other waving to people – coffee cup in hand and his thumb in the air.
 Anne Marsden with her van Anne Marsden is limited in her ability to get around but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get her message out.
They will all be at Spencer Smith Park talking to anyone that will listen – you won’t miss her message.
 The Dreamboats – on stage at the Ribfest – great sound – huge energy. Rib Fest begins on Friday the 2nd and runs through to Monday the 5th
For the first time in two years people will be able to gather and enjoy the music, the food and seeing old friends.
Some people will be wearing masks – respect their right to do so.
And have fun – this is something we have been waiting for and deserve.
 By Pepper Parr
August 31, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Where do you vote? Depends where you live.
The boundaries for a constituency (usually referred to as a riding) is determined by federal regulation that is based on the census report that is produced every ten years.
The Constitution of Canada requires that federal electoral districts be reviewed after each decennial (10-year) census to reflect changes and movements in Canada’s population.
The current federal redistribution process began in October 2021. It is led by independent commissions working separately in each province to establish electoral boundaries. The Chief Electoral Officer is tasked with applying the representation formula found in the Constitution to determine the new allocation of seats. Elections Canada is also responsible for providing administrative and technical support to the commissions.
The preliminary boundaries that will be discussed at an October 6th meeting in Milton are shown below:
 This map shows four ridings – Burlington currently has three. On June 23, 2022 , Parliament amended the Representation Formula, which determines the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) to be assigned to each province. The new legislation ensures that every province retains, as a minimum, the same number of MPs that it had assigned during the 43rd Parliament elected in 2019.
What does that mean for Ontario and, more importantly – what does it mean for Burlington. The people of this city get to vote in one of the three current ridings:
Burlington
Oakville North Burlington
Milton.
If the current preliminary boundaries people in Burlington would be in either:
Burlington Lakeshore
Oakville Lakeshore
Oakville North
Burlington Milton West
Walter Byj who covered the last change in the boundaries and has agreed to take on the task of reporting on the process this time around.
Kyle Hutton will be commenting on the changes proposed.
The first meeting for a public hearing takes place on October 6th in Milton
 By Pepper Parr
August 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Municipal World is a trade magazine that caters to the municipal sector in Canada.
Members of Burlington city council either get a personal copy or have access to a copy.
An article in a recent edition may have been written just for Burlington.
The story is based on Los Angeles where some life guards were reported to being paid $200,000 a year – which ws an abuse of the system they had in place.
The County of Los Angeles was being hammered in the media
“For Los Angeles County, the cost of not being pro-active meant that their “heroes” narrative was barely present next to the “taxpayer waste” narrative – and, sometimes, entirely absent. This was true even in local media, which means the county had not effectively engaged media outlets that most influence their target audiences: the region’s taxpayers, politicians, and community leaders.
In the short run, this lack of foresight meant bad headlines. In the next few months, it could turn into lost trust with target audiences. And in the long run, it could mean budget cuts or income ceilings for lifeguards.
Building a trust reservoir before you need it provides several critical advantages:
You are bulletproof against all sorts of attacks, criticisms, and accusations because media outlets will come to you first for your perspective.
You can activate community, industry, and other influencers who support your organization, its goals, and its place in the market.
People outside of your immediate circle will quickly find your narrative and, if necessary, be able to use it in their conversations and coverage.
The emotional support built over time will likely outweigh out-of-context facts from critics.
What Does Your Trust Reservoir Look Like?
Every organization needs to build a trust reservoir, but each organization will have a unique message to its target audiences.”
In the four years Tim Commisso has been City Manager the Gazette has never had an opportunity to meet personally with him – there have been telephone conversations.
The Mayor has yet to hold an open press event.
The interaction with the Director of Communications for the city has been a disappointment. The Gazette had a very good or at worst a satisfactory relationship with previous city managers.
The final lines in the article read:
“Your side of the story may be the right one, but nobody’s going to believe you if the trust reservoir isn’t full and constantly refilled.
Municipal World Insider and Executive Members: You might also be interested in Julie Rogers’ article: Good public relations defines a municipality’s character, values, and purpose”
The headline: Getting ahead of bad press
 By Pepper Parr
August 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Has it all really come to this:
A Hamilton radio station is reported to have referred to the Burlington Coyote problem as “whistlegate”
Whatever happened to the best mid-sized city in the country to lIve in?
Other than the city and some of the Councillors handing out whistles to anyone who passes by, there was the sense that nothing was going to get done until the middle of September when a report was to be presented at a Standing committee.
 City Manager Tim Commisso Not so – there is to be a meeting on Thursday with Stephen While, one of the authors of the Burlington Oakville Coyote Management report and the City Manager to be followed by another meeting later in the day that appears to include a larger participation.
If all the members of Councillor are on the call – would that make it a meeting of Council ? – perhaps the City Clerk might want to rule on that. Nothing on the city calendar at this point.
There is no agenda that the Gazette is aware of – however this would be a perfect opportunity to verbally ask the questions he put to the city when his report was first made public – something, by the way, that the Gazette first published.
 The five questions were:
1) Why does BOCM have to wait over six months for City of Burlington officials to read BOCM’s Report and provide comments and feedback on our recommendations?
2) Why did Nick Anastasopoulos say that our Report had not been sent to Coyote Watch, but Rosemary Fitzpatrick advised us in mid-May that is what had occurred?
3) Why did Tim Commisso say in a June 2nd meeting that he would get back to us with a response shortly, but we are still waiting? How long are we expected to wait?
4) Why did Nick Anastasopoulos feel it was all right to forward a Report created by an outside advocacy group to another third party advocacy group without our prior knowledge or approval?
5) Why does City Hall not have a formal, established process for reviewing Reports and recommendations from outside entities and organizations?
While this whole business is an embarrassment – there is as well a serious public safety issue that many don’t feel is going to be solved with people blowing a whistle when a coyote is spotted.
The upside is that there do not appear to be anymore reports of people being attacked by a coyote. Was it just the one animal? With at one “eliminated”?
By Staff
August 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON. ON
 Community Development Halton (CDH) is seeking applicants for vacant roles on the Board of Directors.
Eligible applicants live and/or work in the Halton community and wish to contribute as unpaid, volunteers to help CDH achieve the stated Mission: Through research, community development, planning and promoting volunteerism Community Development Halton strives to improve the quality of life for all residents of Halton.
Interested people are asked to please email your letter and resume by September 2, 2022 at 5:00 pm to the Nominating Committee: CDH Board of Directors at office@cdhalton.ca. All applicants will be contacted. Selected applicants will be invited to a virtual interview using Zoom. Candidates will be put forward for election at the Board’s Annual General Meeting in late September.
CDH is a nonprofit, charitable organization focused on the impact of economic, political, social and cultural forces on individuals, families and stakeholders in Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville.
CDH supports three programs:
- The Social Planning program engages with the community to identify strengths and weaknesses and determine ways to improve the quality of life in the Halton community.
- Volunteer Halton supports the promotion of It provides residents and nonprofit agencies with volunteer opportunity matching services, as well as building the capacity of nonprofits through training, consulting and resources.
- Age-Friendly Cities and Communities encourages active and healthy aging by promoting inclusive opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people Visit www.cdhalton.ca for more information about CDH.
Directors serve on the Board for a term of three years with options to renew. Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Directors also participate in ad hoc committees, with the total average time commitment of approximately 50-60 hours per year.
The CDH Board strives to reflect the strengths and diversity of the Halton community. CDH welcomes applications from people with disabilities and encourages people to make requests for accommodations at any point in the process. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate that they are committed to equity and social justice and have a passion for and/or experience with the following:
- Community needs in Halton Region;
- Human services and nonprofit organizations;
- Accounting and financial practices;
- Communications and marketing;
- Legal knowledge and expertise;
- Citizen engagement and collective impact
By Pepper Parr
August 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
In an announcement sent out via Twitter the city administration said:
 The city is reported to have purchased 12oo of thee whistles. In light of recent coyote attacks in south-central and southeast Burlington, we are giving out coyote whistles to help you ‘haze’ coyotes you may encounter.
 Ron Foxcroft, Centre with his son Ronnie and Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns with the Fox40 whistle. The whistles are available, first come, first serve basis at:
Service Burlington, Sims Square, 390 Brant St., third floor
Nelson Recreation Centre, 4235 New St.
Burlington Public Library Branches:
Aldershot Branch, 550 Plains Rd. E.
Alton Branch, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
Brant Hills Branch, 2255 Brant St. o
Central Branch, 2331 New St. o
Kilbride Branch, 6611 Panton St.
New Appleby Branch, 676 Appleby Line o
Tansley Woods Branch, 1996 Itabashi Way
That was it. For those who aren’t glued to Twitter – well they don’t know.
Something is seriously wrong in the Communications department if this is the best they can do to effectively communicate with a public that is asking a lot of questions. There will be a Staff report going to Council for a September 14th meeting.
UPDATE The city did send out a media release later in the day.
 By Staff
August 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Do you love to sing popular music,
like Elvis’ “Love Me Tender“ or “That’ll Be The Day”
Come “join” our choir!
No tryout required!!
These are the people you gotta talk to:
Alex Fiddles https://www.mypopchoir.com
Jane Cooper-Kelly 905-802-8487
My Pop Choir (MPC) sings popular music in two- and three-part harmony.
We are holding summer rehearsals by candlelight, in a beautiful garden setting, backing on to the Centennial Multi-use Path in the Lakeshore School Community.
MPC is a community-based choir, with one qualification for membership:
“You gotta love to sing” 🎶 No tryout required. 😊
When/Where:
Wednesday August 31. 2022
Final rehearsed songs to be sung at 8:30pm
Between Martha Street and Seneca Avenue
How:
Hop on your bike or take an evening stroll…
Look for the twinkling candlelight…
Listen for the magical voices of…
This sounds like a fun event – wish we had heard about it earlier so more of you could take part.
 By Pepper Parr
August 31st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Good speakers are always a delight to listen to – you learn a lot and you find the time was well spent.
The Burlington Historical Society will feature John McDonald at their September 12th meeting that will take place at 7:00 pm in the Centennial Hall at the Central Library
 John McDonald – to talk about the former Halton County Jail – now the Milton Town Hall and what Prohibition was like in the Region. McDonald was born in Milton, Ontario and is a lifelong resident of Halton. He graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute and has served as a Member of Council with both Halton Hills and the Region of Halton.
John has conducted extensive research throughout the Halton area since the early 1970s including numerous presentations and walking tours. This work has resulted in the publication of three books: Halton Sketches, Halton Sketches Revisited and Halton’s Heritage. He is a founding member of the Esquesing Historical Society.
 Once the Court House and Jail – now Town of Milton offices John was awarded the Ontario Heritage Community Recognition Program “Certificate of Achievement” and recognized for his community efforts and historical research when presented with the “Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal”.
Join John for a fascinating look at the history of the Halton County Courthouse and Jail as well as the impact of the Temperance Movement and Prohibition in Burlington
 By Pepper Parr
August 30th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Wards 2, 4 and 5 have serious issues with public safety and coyotes that are actually scratching people.
In ward 3 life is idyllic, the issue in that part of the city is pickleball, a sport that has become very popular, especially with the senior set.
Part of a electronic conversation ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan had with some of his citizens went like this:
I had a good chat with Bozana, an ardent advocate for pickleball in the community, today and here are a few of the outcomes as well as some clarity on items.
 Action Items:
1. We will NOT create / enforce a pickleball ban at the Brant Hills Tennis Courts. The lines are being removed but people can still play there casually and the net that is there will be left there.
2. Casual pickleball is also possible at the basketball nets/parking lot in the middle of the park
3. We will establish a local group of interested pickleball players that the ward Councillor can work with on future changes and to advocate for more pickleball opportunities in Brant Hills and the area.
4. We will, with this new group, consider future capital expenditures in Brant Hills and the area to have more pickleball that is not too close to neighbours.
Additional info:
5. Consultation on this change of use was insufficient and the city (and councillor aka me) commit to do better in the future
6. There are valid concerns from local residents as reinforced by the consultant’s report, including the early start and late finish times of some users
7. Everyone has a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their backyard and while local residents never complained about tennis, pickleball noise is different
8. Other mitigation options are not feasible unfortunately
9. Pickleball players have good reason to not be happy about having to go to Ireland Park for a formal outdoor court
 Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan 10. Play time is available at the Brant Hills Community Centre
I hope this helps. I do want to recognize that communication and consultation could have been better.
If you’re interested in joining the local pickleball advocacy group please email ward3@burlington.ca.
By Staff
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It is that time of year again – the kids are back in school – excited to see their friends and not quite as safety minded as their parents would like to see.
What every driver dreads is the seeing a youth dash out in front of their car and, even thought they are driving below the limit they sense their may be contact.
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has prepared and is ready to launch their back to school safety program – Project Safe Start.
This will be the 15th year the HRPS has conducted this homegrown campaign, which focuses on education, awareness and high-visibility enforcement of traffic laws throughout Halton region. Project Safe Start 2022 will run between Monday, August 29 and Friday, September 9, 2022.
Every road user in Halton plays a critical role in road safety. Remember:
- When driving, everything else can wait. You are driving distracted if your eyes, hands and/or mind are not focused on the task of driving. Motorists are reminded that holding a cellular phone in your hands is an offence, regardless of whether you are talking on it, using the navigation system, or changing a song. This is still applicable when stopped at a red light.
- Drive at a safe speed. Always abide by posted speed limits, with special care in community safety zones with special speed limits. Aggressive driving such as speeding, tailgating and failing to comply with road signs increase the likelihood of a collision. Aggressive driving reduces your reaction time and makes your vehicle movements unpredictable to other drivers.
- Drive responsibly. Drug-impaired and alcohol-impaired driving can result in serious injury or death to you, your loved ones and other road users. Impairment from alcohol and other drugs slows your ability to react to changing road conditions.
The back-to-school season results in increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic across our region. As always, the HRPS is encouraging drivers to use heightened awareness and caution.
Halton residents have ranked traffic concerns as their #1 policing priority. Project Safe Start is just one of many campaigns the HRPS engages in throughout the year in an effort to educate the public and enforce the Highway Traffic Act and other traffic-related legislation.
Pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and police all play an integral role in ensuring safer roads within Halton region – we thank the community for doing their part.
 By Staff
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
On August 26th, 2022, members of the Halton Regional Police Service Drug and Human Trafficking Unit (DHTU) concluded a two-month investigation in relation to a drug trafficking network based in the Town of Halton Hills that spanned across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Between August 25th and 26th 2022, three Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Search Warrants were executed at residences in Georgetown and Toronto. Investigators seized:
• A loaded 9mm Taurus G3C handgun.
• A loaded fully automatic 9mm Glock 26 handgun
• Three additional loaded magazines which included a prohibited capacity magazine.
• 290 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
• Approximately: 330 grams of Cocaine, 80 grams of Fentanyl, 95 grams of Methamphetamine (Crystal Meth), 332 Oxycodone pills, 260 Xanax pills, 30 Hydromorphone pills, and 8 grams of crack cocaine.
• Bundled Canadian Currency estimated at approximately $15,000.
 “The modified fully automatic nature of the firearm seized in this investigation illustrates a disturbing trend in the lengths individuals will go to protect their illicit drug trafficking networks. This investigation illustrates our officers’ dedication in interdicting these firearms and drugs, and holding those engaged in these reprehensible acts accountable,” says Inspector Dave Costantini, Halton Regional Police Intelligence, Drugs and Human Trafficking.
Six individuals were subsequently arrested and charged for their alleged involvement. The following individuals have been charged:
Aristotle Berlanguet (20) of Georgetown
• Careless use of a Firearm
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
• Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
• Trafficking a controlled substance (Cocaine)
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (6 counts)
• Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Device
• Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime Over
• Fail to Comply with Release Order
Adam Griffin (20) of Georgetown
• Careless use of a Firearm
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
• Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
• Possession for the purpose of trafficking (7 counts)
• Fail to Comply with Release Order
Gabriel Kopcsanyi (40) of Toronto:
• Careless Use of a Firearm
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
• Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (8 counts)
• Careless Use of a Firearm
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
• Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
• Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime Under $5000
Gabor Horvath (42) of Etobicoke:
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine)
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine)
Bill Chantzopoulos (57) of Toronto:
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
Virginia Dos Santos (62) of Toronto:
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl).
Berlanguet, Kopcsanyi, and Griffin were held pending a bail hearing. Horvath, Chantzopoulos, and Dos Santos were released on an undertaking with future court dates.
 By Pepper Parr
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
OPINION
City Manager Tim Commisso has advised Stephen White that Staff will be producing a report on the coyote problem that will be presented to the Corporate Services Strategy Risk and Accountability Standing Committee on September 14th
 Is the city manager losing his grip on an issue that trouble many people in the city. He also plans to meet with Mr. White on Thursday of this week. White said he has no idea what is going to take place at that meeting.
Commisso is reported to have said that he is prepared to add additional funding to the problem.
We also learn that there is now a sign at the intersection of Lakeshore Road and Guelph line advising/informing the public about the coyote problem.
A Gazette reader, in a comment she wrote in the Gazette comments section “A small child was dragged out of their backyard by the neck by a coyote before their dad saved them.´
We suspect the comment stretched the truth quite a bit – the point however is that there is a population worried, afraid and uncertain.
 Stephen White has been asked to attend a meeting with the City Manager to “talk about” the coyote problem in the city. White doesn’t know what the agenda is. That population also has a problem with a city Council that does not appear to know how to address a serious issue – the safety of the public.
There is an opportunity here for the City Manager to ask the Mayor to call an emergency meeting of city council to bring the public up to date on what has happened, with a lot of detail, and to set out the immediate steps that can and will be taken.
If there was ever a time for some Strategy Risk and Accountability from the city manager and City Council – this is it.
A sign at an intersection doesn’t quite cut it.
We have a public that is worried; we have members of Council who had, until very recently, not seen the report and we have some dangerously exaggerated comments being made.
An Emergency meeting before everyone leaves town for the Labour Day holiday is in order.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
 By Pepper Parr
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
In a statement put out by Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte she said:
 Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte This Report was not circulated or communicated to all of Council.
I only learned about this Report and Recommendations within the last 3 days while participating in meetings aimed to address the community crisis of the recent aggressive coyote attacks.
I look forward to hearing in more detail of the recommendations provided by this community group who has taken the time to research and provide valuable input.
The report Stolte is referring to is one researched and written by Stephen White and Julie Martin on the coyote problem Burlington is experiencing.
The Gazette reported on three coyote interacting with people and either scratching them or biting them but apparently not drawing blood.
The city hired an expert to track the animal and kill it. The word used by Stolte when she reported on this was “eliminate”.
In the report Stolte is referring to there is a clearly laid out time line setting out each step the Burlington Oakville Coyote Management group took.
Councillor Sharman was by this date fully aware of the report that the Burlington Oakville Coyote Management had researched and written.
There is something very very wrong here.
The Mayor has said she is deeply concerned. The City Manager has had the report for some time.
 City Manager Tim Commisso Yet at least two city Councillors say they had not seen the report. Councillor Kearns last week asked the Gazette where she could get a copy of the report.
The report is out there, the city administration and the Mayor and at least one city Councillor had been fully briefed.
Which leads to the questions Stephen White and July Martin put to the City administration:
1) Why does BOCM have to wait over six months for City of Burlington officials to read BOCM’s Report and provide comments and feedback on our recommendations?
2) Why did Nick Anastasopoulos say that our Report had not been sent to Coyote Watch, but Rosemary Fitzpatrick advised us in mid-May that is what had occurred?
City Manager Tim Commisso
3) Why did Tim Commisso say in a June 2nd meeting that he would get back to us with a response shortly, but we are still waiting? How long are we expected to wait?
4) Why did Nick Anastasopoulos feel it was all right to forward a Report created by an outside advocacy group to another third party advocacy group without our prior knowledge or approval?
5) Why does City Hall not have a formal, established process for reviewing Reports and recommendations from outside entities and organizations?
Good questions.
By Pepper Parr
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington’s citizens have had significant differences of opinion over just what the tree bylaw should do for some time..
Some don’t want the city telling them what to do with trees on their property while others welcome the practice of requiring people to get permission to cut down a tree on their property.
 Adding to the number of trees is an ongoing project – keeping climate change at an acceptable level requires that everyone be on board. Climate change is taking place and the canopy coverage is now not just a nice thing to have but something that is essential if we are to have any hope of how we individually manage climate change.
One Gazette reader said:
I’m not sure most people are aware of how expensive it is to have an unhealthy tree in Burlington now.
A good friend of mine has a large tree in his backyard that is hollow for several feet from the base and obviously in danger of falling. He already had a similar tree brought down by a bad storm that took out a fence. He contacted the city to access the tree and the city arborist said it was healthy. A lay person can see it’s not.
For my friend to cut the tree down it will cost several thousand dollars and will require he pay an application fee to have it cut down. He also has to plant 5 trees because of it’s girth that his yard cannot support. Thus he has to pay a penalty because he can’t plant that many trees. It’s hard to believe this is a democratic country right now. In the past if a tree was sick or close to the house the fee was waived but no longer. The bylaw was changed last year and now makes it nearly impossible to protect your property from a falling tree. He is willing to let the tree fall now and damage his own or neighbour’s house than cut it down. What a sad city we have become.
Not sure you have done any story on our tree loving bylaw recently but its worth a look on what the city has imposed with little communication.
 Was it necessary to cut these trees ? The current tree bylaw would require getting permission and replacing five tree for each tree cut down We are clearly not yet at the point where there s a wide consensus on just what a tree bylaw should do and who should pay the costs involved.
Is this an issue that should be given serious attention during the election campaign that will become much more active once the holiday weekend is over ?
 By Pepper Parr
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
And what did you do over the weekend?
 It just might become a “whistle while you walk” exercise for people in several of the city wards. Councillor Lisa Kearns handing out Fox40 whistles. Lisa Kearns, Councillor for ward 2, was handing out whistles to anybody who wanted one. They are supposed to scare away any coyotes that crossed your path – which is a common occurrence in the ward.
Tim O’Brien, who would like to replace Kearns as the Councillor for the ward said that “his feet were killing him as he walked from door to door telling his story.
Just about all the candidates running for the first time have their web sites in place and their volunteers lined up.
The concern over the coyote problem isn’t just in the minds of the people who are out walking. Members of Council are complaining that they did not see the report prepared by a small group of Oakville and Burlington citizens nor were they aware that it even existed.
Related news stories:
The time line
The report and its recommendations.
 By Justina Gartlab
August 29th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Formula 1 summer break is a short period in between the season where there are no official F1 races. The break is so fundamental that there is a strict closure of factories and other F1-related industries with only basic functions allowed to proceed.
 The thrill of being at the track or watching the races on TV is something you never forget – but drivers and the rest of the team do need a break. The break is upheld by article 21.8 of the FIA sporting regulations which states “all competitors must observe a closing period of fourteen consecutive days during July and/or August.”
In the 2022-2023 season, the summer break extends between late July, after the Hungarian GP, and Late August, just in time for the Belgian GP. You can find more information about sports interaction bonus and promotions to improve your F1 races betting experience ahead of the season resumption.
What is the importance of the F1 summer break? To provide drivers an opportunity for social interactions
If you love the F1 races, you will certainly be glued to your screen in a bid to catch the matches which happen almost every other weekend as there are over twenty races in every season.
However, you have to admit that the drivers are as human as you, and need a social life far from the spectators. The break gives them ample time to relax and reconnect with their families and friends without the hassle of training.
For instance, Lewis Hamilton says he is fully transformed and more in touch with his ‘roots’ following his African visit during the lapsed break.
 This team is a vital and critical part of winning a race. The personnel teams such as those working in production, car design, and development also get to share in it. This prevents any parties from gaining a competitive advantage over the other, as neither can hold meetings or engage in planning activities unless with the authorization of FIA.
As the F1 teams resume working immediately after the Christmas break, this is their first and actual resting period without interruptions.
To minimize costs
With the production, planning, and designing functions on hold, the F1 teams and stakeholders can cut the majority of their costs then. Research projects are also paused which lowers the costs.
Races after the 2022 summer break
If you are looking for new ways to spice up your autumn season, these upcoming Grand Prix events are exciting races will surely keep you company.
Belgian GP 26 -28 August
Dutch GP 2-4 September
Italian GP 9-11 September
Singapore GP 30 – 2 October.
Japanese GP 7-9 October
United States GP 21-23 October
Mexican City GP 28-30 October
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