 By Pepper Parr
June 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The following are excerpt from a story the Gazette is doing on a vicious, vile debate between a member of Council and the Mayor.
The full story will appear later in the day.
 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward The Mayor : “A member of staff filed a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner against Councillor Stolte that she violated several provisions of the council code of good governance. The recommended resolution to that complaint by the Integrity Commissioner was a public apology by the Councillor. The Apology has been agreed to by the staff member and the Councillor. The details of the complaint and resolution are included in a disposition letter from the Integrity Commissioner.
 Councillor Shawna Stolte Stolte then said: “Mayor, I do believe that you understand protocol that a point of order, which has now turned into a point of privilege is to be dealt with before you continue with your remarks. I was really hoping to not have to say this today but I actually have prepared a statement because unfortunately I was expecting this. This is entirely unprofessional and inappropriate for you to be discussing this matter.
While there was a complaint made to the commissioner the Integrity Commissioner deemed that it was not appropriate to come before Council in the form of a report which it sounds as though you have taken it upon yourself to do of your own accord. That’s entirely unprofessional. The only reason why this is being made public is because of a private agreement that I made a promise to a staff member that I wanted to rectify.
It’s a private agreement between a staff member and myself that has been agreed upon. I will be dealing with it during statements by members as you were already informed. As I said it’s entirely inappropriate that you make an attempt to bring that forward now and turn it into yet another political circus for your own selfish gain. And I think you should be ashamed of yourself.
“Thank you, Councillor,” said the Mayor.
The balance of this very sad day for city council will be published later today.
Stolte did not read out her apology – she instead walked out of the Council Chamber.
 By Pepper Parr
June 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
In the past few days we have published extreme heat notices from both the Region and the city.
 Not exactly a senior’s destination – just what does the city have for the seniors? Libraries are open for those who want to get out of the house and be in a cool place.
There really aren’t that many places that are cool that people can spend time at.
Not sure what the Seniors’ Centre is offering – the malls are always open and the Food Courts are kept busy.
But sitting in a Food Court is not really “programming”.
Haven’t seen anything from Parks & Recreation on what they have planned.
City Council is meeting this afternoon – will someone on Council ask Parks & Recreation what they have in mind for the senior set.
Excessive heat is a killer for that demographic.
 Renamed and now known as the Burlington Centre – still has one of the nicer Food Courts.
 By Pepper Parr
June 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Procedural Bylaw determines what you can say and how you must say it when you are delegating before city council.
They like it that way. I will come back to that Bylaw later.
It’s a little different when citizens can put what they are thinking and feeling about the plans to purchase Bateman emails/questions posed
The following are questions that were sent to the city by residents.
 Why is the business of purchasing this property proving to be so difficult – it is really about one pocket of public money being put into a different pocket of public money. 1. Hi there,
I would like to give feedback on the project. Hope this is the correct forum.
I have lived in Burlington my entire life, I have been a volunteer in various areas from
sports to mental health.
My family [Greg/Andrea] Howard has been recognized for work in the community.
Today I am 45 years old – the last two ice arenas that have opened were Mainway in
the 1980’s / then Appleby in the 2000’s.
Our population continues to grow, our recreational infrastructure for ice sports / indoor
events does not.
Youth hockey is growing, girls and women’s hockey continues to grow, adult programs
are growing.
Arena’s are destinations, and I would bet besides the sound of music festival and
soccer fields – more visitors come to these arena’s / rec. centers than other place in
Burlington.
The “Skyway” rec center project is now used to hold city arborists equipment. We have
now reduced arenas, not grown them
The city of Burlington needs to look at this project with the inclusion of an arena. The
youth deserve it.
Hope someone can acknowledge this.
I’m happy to discuss more.
Thanks, Justin Howard
2. Turn the available land into a much needed full ice and training facility for our
youth. Ice availability in our City is not sufficient for the demand. Our youth are
shortchanged when it comes to ice sports!
Do something to make our residents proud without turning it into another pier
disaster! Dave Guluche
3. Why did the city not have a public engagement plan in place from when it decided
to pursue the acquisition of the property? Jim Thompson
4. When will the traffic studies be complete?
5. What is the plan for removing the asbestos on the site?
6. What is the plan for removing the asbestos on the site? (see above, in the
FAQs)
7. When will the traffic studies be complete?
CM-17-22
8. “What regulation prevents the release of the cost information? The city offer was
accepted by the school board so why the need for secrecy?”
9. Good Morning, I’m glad to see and very much support the proposed adaptive
reuse of Robert Bateman High School by the City of Burlington for a combination
of community and educational uses. I am particularly happy to see the relocation
of the New Appleby public library branch to a more appropriate long term home.
Thank you to city staff and council for your leadership in making this happen.
10. Why is the city rushing engagement – how much is this going to cost the city
taxpayer?
11. Why is the city not answering any questions regarding this project – who wrote
the FAQ.
12. How can a survey that was only up for one day and an information that only
lasted 90 minutes be considered as adequate public engagement?
13. There are outstanding questions that needs to be answered.
• who provided the money to purchase the property in question?
• who provided the money to build the school sitting on the property?
• In both cases it was the TAXPAYER. Therefore the TAXPAYER should receive
the money back, NOT have to “PAY AGAIN” for the City to obtain the property &
building.
• We TAXPAYERS would like these questions answered!!!
Some additional questions from the Gazette.
Why is this engagement business being handled so badly?
Is anyone in the Communications department even listening?
And that Procedural Bylaw – it gets written for Council based on what they want the bylaw to be – why isn’t this an election issue?
Why isn’t there a group people (10 or so is all it would take) to go over the document, re-write and then lobby the members of Council and put together a petition and press council until they make changes to the document.
 By Staff
June 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
  Burlington Dance Academy is presenting their year-end performance “Together Again”. From our youngest dancers to our graduating students our show is certain to entertain every one of all ages!
At the Performing Arts Centre June 25th and 26th
Serving Burlington for over 60 years, Burlington Dance Academy is the most tenured dance school in the community.
The fully qualified and accredited faculty’s goal is to provide a love of dance as well as excellence in dance training for students of all ages and abilities.
The Academy believes in developing co-operation, teamwork and self-discipline. – life skills that transcend dance. They offer instruction in Classical Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Acro and Creative Movement.
Dates & Times
Sat Jun 25, 2022 at 2:30pm
Sun Jun 26, 2022 at 2:30pm
Venue
Ticket Prices
Regular: $40 (All-in)
Child (under 2 years): $22 (All-in)
Also offering fantastic summer camps!
Visit them at www.bdacademy.ca
 By Alex Larsens
June 21, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Factors Influencing The Prices of Cryptocurrencies
Over the last few years, cryptocurrencies have become popular among investors worldwide. These digital currencies are characterized by high volatility, which translates to high levels of risk. Simply put, crypto prices can experience a wide swing in both negative and positive directions.
If you are wondering about the causes of these price fluctuations, then it is a must to look into the various factors that can influence the prices of cryptocurrencies. As the use of cryptocurrencies gains more adoption, they have become intertwined with the global economy. For this reason, this guide will look into these price fluctuation drivers.
 What Drives Price Changes In Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are not backed by the government or any central authority. This ensures that they are not affected by inflation rates, as well as other monetary policies, that can affect regular fiat currencies. However, other common factors can impact crypto prices. Some of these are introduced as follows:
Demand and Supply
Just like other traditional commodities, the concept of demand and supply can affect the prices of cryptocurrencies. Take, for instance, the supply of the largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin is limited to 21 million coins. As the supply of this cryptocurrency nears its limits, demand increases since the supply drops. When demand rises, the price also rises.
The Impact of crypto exchanges
There is a dramatic rise in the rate at which cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and TeslaCoin, among others, are traded. This higher rate has been followed by the introduction of a plethora of crypto exchanges on the internet. For most major tokens, which are available on many crypto exchanges, there is a rise in the number of investors that are purchasing and selling the tokens.
 For investors that are interested in swapping a cryptocurrency token with another by making use of multiple exchanges, each swap comes with a fee, which eventually increases the cost of investment.
Production Cost
To verify the authenticity of a transaction on a cryptocurrency network, there is a need for a process called mining. To reward miners, the network offers them a new cryptocurrency. In Bitcoin, for example, this is how new coins are produced. Miners are often charged with the responsibility of solving complex mathematical algorithms for the right to add a block of transactions to the public ledger, called Blockchain.
 With this effort from miners, the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies is not compromised. As the supply limit draws near – 21 million for Bitcoin – the level of mathematical algorithms that miners must solve to find and verify a block becomes much harder. The amount of energy and time that is needed to achieve this mining process might become very high.
To maintain their profit to make up for the high production costs, most miners often raise the value of cryptocurrencies. After all, it makes no sense for miners to invest more production costs into the mining process if the cryptocurrency they are rewarded is lower in value.
Government Regulation and Media Hype
The fact that cryptocurrencies cannot be controlled by a single entity scares the government. They feel that traditional FIAT currencies might be under serious threat since cryptos are more than capable to stand in as alternatives. For this reason, many governments restrict – or completely ban – the use of cryptocurrencies in their country.
For nations with a high number of crypto investors, any bad government regulation can negatively impact the value of the digital asset. Besides this, social media hype has also been known to affect cryptocurrencies by lowering and raising their values. The involvement of celebrities can also influence the adoption of cryptocurrencies, which raises demands for them and increases their values.
Conclusion
The crypto market is on the rise. However, its high volatility makes it a risky investment. For this reason, it is important to understand the various factors that can drive crypto prices while implementing the right strategy that can manage these factors.
 By Christopher Boyd
June 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
One of our security service providers published a scam that is targeting Facebook users – targeted in massive phishing campaign. We share it with you. First published June 9th, 2022
Facebook is once again the launchpad for a large-scale phishing campaign, according to researchers at PIXM. The campaign, which first shows signs of life back in September 2021, has generated millions of page views and ad referral revenue “estimated to be millions of USD at this scale of operation”.
Credential harvesting on a grand scale
Researchers claim the threat actors stole one million credentials in four months to help achieve the above potential level of revenue. Aspects of the phish campaign are fairly typical of what you can expect to see from a Facebook phish, and the tactics used to spread bogus links are not particularly original. What matters most of all is that it works. When basic phishing tactics pull in so many accounts and clicks, there’s no need to overcomplicate things.
 One of the scam pages from 2021 attracted no fewer than 2.7 million users, with the number rising to about 8.5 million in 2022. This is a huge ramp-up of already significant numbers, and also perhaps a little surprising that the site avoided being taken down for abuse.
This is one phishing campaign that isn’t messing around.
How the phish worked
Unfortunately specifics are absent in a few areas, but it works as follows.
A Facebook user receives a notification in Messenger. This is, at its most basic, a rogue link.
There’s no information around whether a message accompanies it, and if so, what it says. However, something as simple as the below messages are routinely used in Facebook scams:
Seen this?
Is this you in the photo?
Guess who died?
Check this out!
The link is shortened to help bypass any Facebook spam filters. The shortening services used are commonplace, popular and entirely legitimate. This makes it trickier for Facebook to figure out if the link is potentially good or bad.
The link takes potential victims to a variety of sites but a phishing page will be the primary destination. Once phished, the victim is sent elsewhere. It could be a promotion, a survey scam, or pretty much anything else that’s ad-centric. There’s also the mention of potential malvertising pages, on top of the threat of being phished. All these links have ad trackers and other ad-related forms of revenue generation buzzing away in the background.
Current state of play
According to PIXM, the campaign is still alive and kicking. Many of the sites involved have been taken down, and one website listed in the landing page code has been “seized” in relation to an investigation. What that investigation is, and who is doing it, isn’t clear.
What is clear, is that without dedicated resources and probable law enforcement involvement, something like this will never fully go away. It’s simply too easy to keep creating spam domains, signing up as an affiliate, and generating endless shortened URLs. The (potentially exaggerated) claims of $150 for every thousand visits from the US alone from the threat actor is all the incentive they need to keep doing it. As researchers note, this figure would result in a theoretical revenue of $59M from the end of 2021 to now.
Tips to avoid Facebook phishing
 Be wary of messages which don’t follow the natural flow of a conversation. Messages sent at unusual hours or out of the blue with a link should be treated with caution.
If you’re presented with a “Login to view content” box, take a deep breath before going any further. If you’re already logged in, there should be no reason why you’d be asked to login again. Check the URL. Are you on Facebook.com, or an unrelated website?
If you’re able to, ask the sender about their message away from Facebook. Their Facebook account may have be compromised, but you probably don’t have to worry about sending them a text.
Enable 2-factor authentication (2FA). If you hand over your password to a phishing page, the phisher can’t do much with it while you’re protected with 2FA. Keep in mind that some phishing sites will also try to steal your 2FA codes.
Add login alerts to your Facebook account. If someone does compromise your login credentials and access your account, you’ll be notified by Facebook as soon as this happens.
 By Denis Gibbons
June 20, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Sound of Music Festival attracts people from all parts of Canada and even the world. The Gazette’s roving reporter talked to some of them on a picturesque Saturday at the waterfront.
 John and Sue Sadowski John and Sue Sadowski made the short jaunt from Dundas to attend the Sound of Music Festival. A freelance drummer with various tribute bands in the Bay Area. John said Spencer Smith Park is so beautiful it should be extended around the bend to the liftbridge over the Burlington Canal. He was pleased when the Gazette’s roving reporter told him there are long-range plans to do that. Asked how the event compares with the Dundas Cactus Festival, Sue replied, “There’s a whole lake missing at the Cactus Festival. I once got caught in a tornado that almost blew down all the tents on King Street!”
 Const. Kevin Bochsler – took care of the Lost and Found Booth Keeping everybody safe and having a good time is the main concern of Const. Kevin Bochsler, a Burlington-based community officer with Halton Regional Police. Bochsler was in charge of the missing persons tent at the festival. He reports there was one missing child and one missing adult, but fortunately both were reunited with their families.
“If I can chat with people as they pass by,it’s a good day,” he said. “Whatever we can do to help.”
 Peter Munn, Peter Munn, a resident of Winnipeg and originally from Melbourne, Australia, felt right at home on the waterfront. “He was in Burlington for his son’s wedding. “Melbourne also has a reputation as an outdoor city with a lot of festivals. It’s on a big bay, perhaps 20 miles by 30, with beautiful beaches all around it.
I’m very impressed with this piece of land (Spencer Smith Park), they have good food trucks and great music.”
 Cimba, the dog, just loves all the people A resident of Oakville, Lana says she comes to the Sound of Music Festival every year. This year she brought along her cute little Pomeranian Cimba. “Cimba just loves all the people and how busy it is down here,” she said. Obviously, Cimba also has plenty of experience posing for the camera.
 By Denis Gibbons
June 20TH, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Mayor struts in the parade Faraway fields look green for some Burlingtonians who fork out their hard-earned cash to travel to Caribbean destinations for a holiday.
They’re leaving a venue just as beautiful right under their noses.
Breezes at the Spencer Smith Park waterfront Saturday rivaled the West Indies as bright sunshine created a marvelous vista for the Sound of Music Festival.
 Spectators filled the stands on Brant St. in front of city hall. Some parents brought their children to the tiny beach. Yes, that’s right – a beach right at the foot of the city’s main street. How many towns and cities envy that ?
Boats even conveyed passengers over from Hamilton through the Burlington Canal to enjoy the festival.
On Saturday morning the Burlington Teen Tour Band and Top Hat Marching Orchestra led the Grand Festival Parade, with Mayor Marianne Meed Ward dancing along the way. The mayor walked the entire route, rather than riding in a car.
Bringing up the rear was the massive Burlington Teen Tour Alumni Band, which got the loudest applause of all. It was fascinating to see musicians who marched as teens 40 years ago still able to play their instruments and keeping up to the beat of the drums
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band
 Some fans listened to the music from their boats out in the lake. They were short far too many life jackets.
 The British are back!
 Gymnasts performed in front of Scrivener’s on Brant Street. Above the BTTB Alumni  The Naval Promenade was packed on a sunny Saturday afternoon COGECO-TV Channel 23 and 700 HD will show a replay of the parade on Tuesday, June 21 at 2 p.m.
There could be other replays as well. Viewers should check COGECO listings on the web.
All photos by DENIS GIBBONS
 By Pepper Parr
June 20th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The news report was pretty blunt:
Two people are dead, one person in critical condition. 10:30pm EB #QEW/Cawthra Rd. Two vehicle collision, three people involved, both vehicles blocking the left lane. Moments later a third vehicle collided into stopped vehicles. Driver of third vehicle minor injuries.
The photograph Is mind jarring; people don’t survive accidents like this.
We shake our heads and the news cycle brings something else to us.
Then we got the following;
Sorry to let you know that Rama Pirakala, a young entrepreneur and a co-owner of a restaurant in Burlington (Charminar. https://charminarindiancuisine.com/foodmenu-burlington) has passed away in a tragic accident on the QEW in Mississauga.
He started that restaurant recently. He is the sole breadwinner of the family and is survived by his wife and two young kids, 10 year old boy and 4 years old daughter.
Friends of his have started a fundraiser to support his family.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-rama-pirakalas-family
Here are the details of the accident on CP24:
https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/two-drivers-who-collided-on-qew-killed-after-their-vehicles-hit-from-behind-by-third-motorist-opp-1.5951161
Can you please publish this in your newspaper and support a halton resident and a member of the business community?
For details, please contact Satish Kalla at 647 523 4477.
 By Alex Larsden
June 20, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Will Ethereum Outpace Other Cryptocurrencies To Reach $10,000 ?
Since it was first launched in 2015, Ethereum has found its place in the crypto market as the second-largest cryptocurrency in the world behind Bitcoin, with a market capitalization of $143 billion.
It has a current value of just over $1,200, as of the time of writing.
 On November 16, 2021, Ethereum achieved an all-time high value of $4,891 – around the same time Bitcoin also reached its all-time high value. Since then, it has experienced some massive fluctuations in its price. Just like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum is not new to volatility.
Even though the high volatility brings about a high level of risk, Ethereum can be a good long-term investment for enthusiasts and seasoned crypto traders to consider. As a result, many experts believe that Ethereum is capable of reaching – and surpassing – the $10,000 mark. This article will provide more details on this.
New Upgrade in Ethereum Can Be a Driver of Its Price
Will Ethereum hit the $10,000 threshold in 2022? Most probably not. Yet, according to many experts, it is only a matter of time before achieving the mark. Various reasons support that belief.
In March 2021, developers approved a major upgrade, titled EIP-1559, to change how the network runs. This upgrade is aimed at helping with the limitation that comes with the current Ether supply by drastically changing how the transactions work.
By doing this, Ether coins will be eliminated when a base transaction fee is sent to the network. The destruction of these coins will lead to a reduction in supply. The potential scarcity turned out to be good news among Ethereum investors at the time.
With a limited supply, demand will tend to rise. When that happens, the price will increase as well. For holders of Ethereum, there is a potential for high returns in the long term. This is because the fall in supply will cause buyers to purchase the coin at the price dictated by the seller of the crypto asset.
However, Ethereum transactions are on the rise. Almost all reputable crypto exchanges offer the digital asset on their platform. By using tools like Bitcoin Prime, traders are exposed to a high possibility of successful trading.
 There are several other factors that have caused the price of Ethereum to fall in recent months. While Ethereum can be used for many applications, it is not immune to these factors, which include rising interest rates, war, and availability, among other factors. As the crypto market becomes intertwined with the global economy, these factors tend to have more effect on Ethereum prices.
For most experts, Ethereum is a good investment that has all it takes to hit the $10,000 mark. Even though it is currently traded at a low price, many believe that Ethereum will surpass the mark.
Is Ethereum A Good Investment?
Much like other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum is characterized by a high level of risk due to its high volatility. However, in the long term, Ethereum is a profitable investment. To make the most of its volatility, it is important to adopt the best risk management plan.
Besides this, before dabbling into it, traders should ensure that they acquaint themselves with how trading Ethereum works and the factors that can drive its prices.
Conclusion
Ethereum has enjoyed gains of over 160% in all but two years since its inception. This represents a high possibility for a cryptocurrency to reach an all-time high quickly. Will Ethereum reach the $10,000 mark in 2022? Only time will tell. However, all signs point to the fact that the cryptocurrency has the resources and potential to surpass the mark anytime in the future. For this reason, it is a good investment to consider.
 By Pepper Parr
June 19th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
At this point we don’t have a government in Ontario.
None of those elected earlier this month have been sworn in but 36 of the newly elected were taken on a tour last week to be shown what is where at Queen’s Park.
The Premier is still the Premier and the Cabinet is still the Cabinet – they are the government until the new Cabinet is sown in.
Those who did not run again or were defeated had 10 day to pack up their stuff and move out of the offices they had.
Not sure if Natalie Pierre has moved into the space that Jane McKenna had.
 Natalie Pierre – elected to represent the people of Burlington at Queen’s Park Ted Arnott, who will continue to be the member for Wellington – Halton wrote the Premier setting out what he wanted for his constituency. Natalie Pierre will have some personal ideas as to what she would like to see – she has yet to become fully informed as to what the city needs – although she has had at least one conversation with Mayor Meed Ward.
This might be a good opportunity for the readers of the Gazette to set out what they would like to see the provincial government do in the months ahead.
They have a strong majority and can do pretty much whatever they want to do.
Their first two years during the last government were pretty wild – with all kinds of decisions that no one expected – the decision to cut the number of councillors for Toronto was one memorable example.
This new government is said to be much different than the last.
So – what do you want to see?
Put your thoughts into the comments section and we will go through them all and see what our readers have to say.
And please – have the courage of your convictions and put your real name on the comments.
By Denis Gibbons
June 19th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Peng Vang drove his family down from Guelph on Thursday to let daughters Gabriel, 5, and Arielle, 3, Peng Vang drove his family down from Guelph on Thursday to let daughters Gabriel, 5, and Arielle, 3, enjoy the playground at Spencer Smith Park. Much to their delight the Sound of Music Festival was opening and the kids spotted the rides in the amusement park right away. So they returned on Friday. A native of Loie, in Thailand, Vang enjoyed the warm temperature, which was only a few degrees below the 30 C recorded in Loie on Friday.
 Joyce Cooper Holly, a 12-year-old Pomeranian, whom Joyce Cooper rescued from an abusive home, shows her appreciation at the Sound of Music Festival Friday.
When Holly first came to previous festivals, she was frightened by the sound of the drums, but she’s used to it now and loves the music. A former ballroom dancer, Cooper was there to see the ballroom dancing performance of Dancescape.
She is originally from Leicester, England, and remembers when Leicester City were finalists to Manchester United in the 1963 Football Association Cup.
 Yvonne Miller When Yvonne Miller moved from picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake to Burlington, it was to get closer to the action. And she found it immediately at her first Sound of Music Festival. She was surprised that Burlington has more parkland and a broader waterfront than her previous home on the other side of Lake Ontario. And she says she doesn’t miss all the wineries.
A native of Warrington, Cheshire, England, she says her favorite bands are Gypsy King, Blood Sweat and Tears and The Beatles.
 Durval Pereira It pays to advertise. That’s the message Durval Pereira brought to the festival Friday. He read about it in his hometown newspaper in Cambridge. A native of the Azores in Portugal, one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, Pereira used to be on the air playing Portuguese music for radio station CIRV in Toronto.
When the Gazette’s roving reporter informed him about Saturday’s Grand Festival Parade, he said he plans to come back.
 Katie Reynolds Burlington realtor Katie Reynolds has been coming to the festival ever since she grew up on Baldwin Avenue. The festival started in 1980. It was an easy walk down to Spencer Smith Park for her and her dog Doug.
Katie was particularly interested in listening to the music of Matt Dusk and his band. “I remember coming with my children, who are all grown up now. I love bumping into people I haven’t seen for a long time. The festival is such a gift we have. It’s just wonderful.
 John and Joan Parker, John and Joan Parker, who have lived in Burlington their entire lives, just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in April.
They took in Friday afternoon’s performances of Dancescape and the Matt Dusk band as a fond reminder of the nights they spent dancing at the old Brant Inn, more than half-a-century ago.
Their children follow the band wherever they play. “Burlington is the very best,” Joan said. “There’s not a city around that has the number of parks and free entertainment events.”
By Staff
June 19th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The outdoor concerts at the Band shell in Central |Park begin this evening and will continue through to the end of August.
The season will start with performances by Burlington Teen Tour Band, Burlington Junior Redcoats, BTTB Alumni
The program is sponsored by the city and the Rocca Sisters Team, a real estate agency.
Bring a chair and a blanket this evening – starts at 7:30 pm
 The Burlington Teen Tour Band playing on the Naval Promenade in Spencer Smith Park
 By Staff
June 18th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
There are three issues that the people of Burlington break out into a sweat when they are discussed:
Parking, fireworks and the urban canopy.
Let me focus on the urban canopy. Does it get much better than the picture below?
 This is what most people in Burlington want; a gorgeous urban tree canopy that shades our streets, improves property values and gets some of the pollutants out of the air. But at the same time people want to be able to cut down a tree on their property if they don’t like them. We can’t have it both ways.  You can do this in Burlington. There are those who understand that a tree is not your property – it is something that exists on your property and you are asked to be the steward of that tree while you are with it.
The tree is probably going to last longer than you will.
There are others who want to be able to cut down a tree on their property because they are tired of raking up the leaves in the fall.
The city is currently working on an Urban Forest Master Plan and like most of the planning decisions the city has a survey – yup another one.
The City of Burlington is seeking community input to help develop an Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP). The Urban Forest Master Plan will update and replace the Urban Forest Management Plan created in 2010. The new Master Plan will provide the strategic direction to manage the urban forest in response to new challenges related to urban development, climate change and extreme weather, and invasive pests. Specifically, the UFMP will provide:
Take the Burlington Urban Forest Master Plan survey to help shape the urban forest vision and strategic directions for the Urban Forest Master Plan. The survey is approximately 15 minutes in length, and we will be open until June 29, 2022.
You are then asked to slip over to the GET INVOLVED page (provide the link) and tell the city where the places are that you would like to see it improved along with a photo of the location.
Find out what other people think by clicking the points on the map.
By Denis Gibbons
June 17th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Hot weather accompanied the opening of Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival at Spencer Smith Park Thursday night. The Promenade along the waterfront was jammed with people, with more taking in the rock music from their boats out in the lake.
 With the beautiful Burlington skyline as a backdrop, folks listen to the music. Burlington’s version of front row seats Members of the Honeymoon Suite group signed autographs for fans at the west end of the park after they performed. The midway and concession stands were doing a booming business. Freshly squeezed lemonade, hot dogs, hamburgers and candy floss were among the treats being offered.
The Grand Festival Parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, starting at Central Park, heading west on Caroline Street to Elizabeth, south to James, west to Brant and then north to Burlington Central high school.
The Sound didn’t go over that well with some people; one Gazette reader reacted to a story we did with this:
 It was great sounds coming out of big big bass speakers. For the record….not everyone thinks that the Sound of Music is “soothing”. The noise from the bass was so loud last evening I sent an email to Lisa, and the by-law officer. I can only imagine what Don Fletcher was dealing with. His windows must have been shaking. There is no need for the bass to be that loud under any circumstances. A friend who lives on Smith Avenue told me the noise was awful.
All photos by DENIS GIBBONS
By Denis Gibbons
June 17th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Normal, normal and more normal with the sound of the bands laying in the background and hundreds upon hundreds of people strolling along.
The weather was perfect for much of the day – seeing people out and about was just wonderful.
 Darron Repton with Jessica Genereaux Darron Repton, an aspiring rap artist who performs under the stage name ‘Talk Sic’, attended Thursday night’s performances with Jessica Genereaux, who operates her own beauty spa ‘Browzamore’ in Burlington. Repton has been enjoying the festival since he was five years old. It was the first for Genereaux, who just moved here from Waterloo. Talk Sic has toured all over Canada. Repton also has a job at Tamarack Lumber.
 Jim Corbett, who enjoyed the music Thursday night with daughter Abby, a Grade 10 student at Assumption high school.. Saturday’s parade will go right past the office of chiropractor Jim Corbett, who enjoyed the music Thursday night with daughter Abby, a Grade 10 student at Assumption high school. Jim was born just down the street at Joseph Brant Hospital and has been in practice for 22 years. He used to play a little guitar with a buddy, but not in an organized band.
 Wowie Lon Toc of Mississauga and Mary Bolla of Hamilton Wowie Lon Toc of Mississauga and Mary Bolla of Hamilton were surprised to find the festival when they met for dinner at Spencer’s On The Waterfront. They decided to take an after-dinner stroll and were glad they did. Both trace their roots back to The Philippines and sing in the choir at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Mississauga.
 Azadeh Newrozi, son Farbod and little dog Leo. It was the first festival for Azadeh Newrozi, son Farbod and little dog Leo. The family hails from Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and has been living in Burlington for the last three years.
 Diana Vinski A chemical engineer with Metrican, at Appleby Line and Mainway, Diana Vinski particularly liked the music of Three Days Grace, last week, and was at Spencer Smith Park on Thursday night to listen to Skid Row.
Originally from Oakville, Vinski said the festival is “1,000 times better than the Oakville Waterfront Festival, held annually at Coronation Park in that town. She made the statement, even at the risk of never getting a job at Tourism Oakville!
By Pepper Parr
June 17th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
This is summer.
Road construction takes place in the summer – traffic snarls
Gas prices have a habit of going up just before long weekends, driver snarls.
And, you gotta pay for parking in the Beachway.
Fees will be charged from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends – until the last weekend in September: Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022.
 Sign covers all the bases Parking fees can be paid through the HONK mobile app. Users do not have to download the app – they scan the QR code on parking lot signage to pay for parking.
The hourly rate of $2.50 or a daily flat rate of $20. Users can scan the QR Code or download the HonkMobile app. There is a transaction fee of $0.35 for each payment. Dashboard tickets are not needed as every payment is linked to a license plate number. Parking ambassadors are onsite to assist visitors with this process.
The Beachway has become more popular over time and the past few summers during the pandemic saw record demand for parking resulting in the City having to use barricades, a drop-off zone and parking ambassadors to help manage the demand for parking.
Illegally parked vehicles will be issued tickets and/or towed. Drivers are reminded not to park illegally, especially on Lakeshore Road shoulders and the grass boulevard over the pipeline as they will be towed.
 Lots of work for the parking police Parking is free in Downtown Burlington on weekends and holidays. Beachway visitors are encouraged to extend their walk or use the drop-off zone, park for free in the downtown and meet their household members at the beach. For parking downtown, visit burlington.ca/downtownparking.
Visitors are also encouraged to consider taking Burlington Transit, cycling, walking or rolling to the beach and leaving their cars at home.
Also starting May 21, Halton residents can take advantage of 10 free days of parking per year at Beachway Park. It is recommended that residents wait to fill out the parking exemption form once they’ve arrived at the beach and parked in a legal parking spot. The exemption doesn’t guarantee a spot, but it does give residents free parking for the day.
By Staff
June 16th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
At 2:52 this afternoon the city released a statement advising the public that Cooling Centres Open –
A heat warning is in effect. Residents can stay cool at all open Burlington Public Library branches.
There was no mention as to how long the hear warning was to be in effect.
Central Branch
2331 New St.
905-639-3611
Aldershot Branch
550 Plains Rd. E.
905-333-9995
Alton Branch
3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.
905-634-3686
Brant Hills Branch
2255 Brant St.
905-335-2209
Kilbride Branch
6611 Panton St. Kilbride
905-335-4011
New Appleby Branch
676 Appleby Line
905-639-6373
Tansley Woods Branch
1996 Itabashi Way
905-336-5583
 By Pepper Parr
June 16th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
We can tell you this now – a few hours ago we were communicating via email with Ron Foxcroft and arranging to meet with him at the inaugural flight of Lynx Air that is setting up a Hamilton to Halifax flight schedule.
Foxcroft couldn’t talk for very long. He said:
 Marnix Heersink with his wife Mary “In 5 minutes I am leaving to tribute Burlington Central High School Graduate Marnix Heersink”, who Foxcroft said was the “the best basketball player at Burlington Central and Western University.”
“Today he is an Eye Surgeon in Alabama.
“He just donated $95MILLION to UAB Birmingham Alabama and $32MILLLION to McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences.
“I am the surprise guest speaker now, and a BIG SURPRISE. I am bring his 92 year old High School Basketball Coach Ward Russell to the celebration. Ward’s wife Shirley sang in my mom’s church choir. My mom was the organist.
“Marnix grew up in Burlington, and had a Spec Paper Route and earned $5.00 per week.
“I had a Toronto Telegram Paper Route and earned $1.90 per week.”
Is this the day that every Central High School student gets a Fox40 whistle – and every student blows that whistle at the same time?
 By Staff
June 16th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Rocca Sisters Team have joined the city of Burlington in presenting this year’s Concerts in the Park.
Beginning Sunday, June 19 and running each Wednesday and Sunday evening from 7:30 to 9 p.m. until Sunday, Aug, 28, 2022 there will be Concerts in the Park.
Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an evening of music under the open sky at the Central Park Bandshell (2311 New St. Burlington). If there is inclement weather, concerts will move inside the Music Centre if possible.
June Performances
Sunday, June 19– Burlington Teen Tour Band, Burlington Junior Redcoats, BTTB Alumni
Wednesday, June 22– 12/4 Swing
Sunday, June 26– Milton Show Band
Wednesday, June 29– Burlington Welsh Ladies Chorus
 KooGle putting on a performance at the Bandshell July Performances
Sunday, July 3– Splendor in the Brass
Wednesday, July 6– Alex Whorms
Sunday, July 10– The Barbara Jordan Swing Septet
Wednesday, July 13– Florin Clonta
Sunday, July 17– Galt Kiltie Band
Wednesday, July 20– Silver Swing Big Band
Sunday, July 24– Millgroove
Wednesday, July 27– Dixieland All Stars
Sunday, July 31– Liverpool Sessions
August Performances
Wednesday, Aug. 3– Dixieland Plus
Sunday, Aug. 7– Burlington Teen Tour Band
Wednesday, Aug. 10– Lincoln Concert Band
Sunday, Aug. 14– Little Peter & the Elegants
Wednesday, Aug. 17– George Arnone Big Band
Sunday, Aug. 21– Subourbon Street
Wednesday, Aug. 24– Harbourtown Sound
Sunday, Aug. 28– Burlington Concert Band
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