 By Staff
April 14th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The City summer swimming lessons and youth recreational programs will open for online registration April 23.
All classes and programs are available for viewing now at www.burlington.ca/recreation. Non-Burlington residents can register April 29.
 Swimming should be part if life for every child. There are programs to teach – take advantage of the opportunity – your child love you for it. Burlington’s learn to swim program provides a full range of classes for swimmers of every skill level and age. Visit burlington.ca/swimming to find out more about registered swim and Aquatic Leadership programs. June lessons at Tansley Woods and Nelson Pool begin June 4 and the full summer session begins July 4.
Dates for adult summer program registration will be announced later in May.
Rec Connections
New Inclusion Program for Individuals with Disabilities ages 15-21
A new recreation and social program geared to teens living with a disability.
This course will use both indoor and outdoor program spaces. There will be themed weeks, outdoor adventures, crafts, physical activities and more. Make connections with your peers in your community in a fun and active manner. The Rec Connections program will run the weeks of July 18, 25, Aug. 2, and 8.
 Just plain play Park Play Program
Join City staff in your neighbourhood park for some simple fun and games. Staff are on-site to encourage participants to be active, social, and creative. This is not a day camp program, although registration is required to monitor and manage participation. All activities will occur outdoors, with the daily program cancelled and children sent home in situations of inclement weather.
Summer Camps
The Summer Camps team is excited to announce three new SNAP camp locations that will be available for registration on April 23.
• Orchard Park Public School
• Florence Meares Public School
• Maplehurst Public School
Limited spaces are still available in music and student theatre camps.
Assisted Registration
Residents who need extra support or do not have online access to register for programs, can call 905-335-7738 for staff-assisted telephone registrations.
The customer service team is available through email at liveandplay@burlington.ca or 905-335-7738, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information on how to register online, visit burlington.ca/registration.
Recreation Fee Assistance
Recreation is for all, regardless of financial situation. Recreation Fee Assistance is funding made available to resident individuals or families who need help to pay for City of Burlington recreation programs. For more information or to apply, visit burlington.ca/feeassistance.
 By Pepper Parr
April 13, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington high schools have always been strong competitors in the field of robotics.
Six robotics teams from the Halton District School Board (HDSB) will be competing at the FIRST Ontario Provincial Championship in Mississauga Thursday through Saturday (April 14-16).
 The robot was taught how to throw that basketball. It was not drafted by the Raptors Schools participating include Burlington Central School, M.M. Robinson High School, Garth Webb Secondary School and Georgetown District High School, each with one team, and Oakville Trafalgar High School with two teams.
Each HDSB team qualified for the provincial competition based on their results from taking part in regional competitions including those held at Humber College, Waterloo and York universities. This provincial competition is a qualifier for the World FIRST Robotic Championship held April 20-23 in Houston, Texas.
“Our Halton FIRST robotics teams worked extra hard this season coming out of lockdown, with tight timelines to build their robot in time to compete in their first qualifier at the beginning of March,” says Veronica Kleinsmith, Lead for the Specialist High Skills Major andPathways programs with the HDSB.
“All HDSB teams built impressive robots this year and three of our schools are ranked in the Top 6 in Ontario going into this provincial competition. Each team raises funds from community and business sponsors, designs a brand for their team, hones their teamwork skills, builds and finally programs their robots for a difficult field-game challenge.”
 The students who take part in the robotics courses are amongst the smartest in the HDSB system. Established in 2001, FIRST Robotics inspires young people to be leaders and innovators in science and technology by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills to inspire innovation and foster self-confidence, communication and leadership.
 By Pepper Parr
April 13th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Very early Wednesday morning the Gazette will publish a recommendation from the Integrity Commissioner in which they set out a case for sanctioning a member of City Council.
 Stand By says the city motto – for how long one might ask? The recommendation comes after a three month investigation when two other members of Council filed a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner.
The Councillor named in the report is believed to be preparing a Statement.
The recommendation from the Integrity Commissioner is to go to the City Council meeting on April 19th.
It is not know at this time if the report will be read in a Closes Session of Council.
The Integrity Commissioner is reported to have said that it was “their preference” to have the report not made public until it was actually before Council.
The City Clerk is reported to hold the same view.
The issue is related to how and when Council chooses to go into a closed session and what gets reported from the Closed Session.
The report is lengthy and sets out issues that deserve open and public debate.
Mayor Meed Ward has been involved in discussions with the City Manager on this issue.
 By Staff
April 12th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The City, Burlington Hydro, BurlingtonGreen and Plug’n Drive are hosting Earth Day activities in the parking lot at Central Arena on Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Register for Tree Giveaway
The City of Burlington is giving away 200 trees. To receive a free four-to-five-foot tree, you must register in advance and have a vehicle able to safely transport the tree.
Registration opens April 13.
To register for a tree, go to Get Involved Burlington. Quantities and tree species are limited.
 Meet Electric Vehicle Experts
The City and Burlington Hydro are sponsoring Plug’n Drive’s Mobile EV Education Trailer for four weeks at the arena starting April 23 until May 20, 2022.
Talk with experts and owners about driving an electric vehicle (EV).
Book an EV test drive in advance at plugndrive.ca/meet-burlington/. Test drive appointments are available Thursdays to Sundays starting April 23 until May 20, 2022.
Check Out BurlingtonGreen’s 12th Annual Clean Up Green Up
Learn about spring eco-opportunities. Giveaways at BurlingtonGreen’s tent will include free clean-up kits and free pollinator seed packets for the first 100 visitors.
More information about the Clean Up Green Up event can be found at burlingtongreen.org
 By Staff
April 12th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Tyandaga Golf Course will open for the 2022 season on Saturday, April 16.
Tee times will be available starting at 7 a.m. each day and can be booked by calling the Pro Shop at 905-336-0005, ext. 2 or booking online at www.tyandagagolf.com. Members will be able to book 14 days in advance.
 The course will be open for walking only until further notice, and staff will monitor course conditions each day.
For any questions regarding opening and the course, please contact email tyandaga@burlington.ca or call 905-336-0005.
About Tyandaga Golf Course
Located at 1265 Tyandaga Park Dr., Burlington, Tyandaga Golf Course is an 18-hole course with 4,852 metres of scenic terrain characterized by its natural waterways and broadleaf woods. The golf course offers memberships, tournaments, clinics, men’s and women’s league play, and in-season and off-season rentals. The course combines a perfect mix of urban convenience with rural beauty, natural waterways, contours and mature trees as well as dining and catered private or corporate events.
Book a tee time on line.
www.tyandagagolf.com
 By Staff
April 12th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Tables waiting for customers City services and facilities will be closed for Good Friday, on Friday, April 15, and Easter Monday, on Monday, April 18.
A list of which City services and facilities are available on the Easter holiday weekend is set out below.
If you are out and about and in places where there are a lot of people – wear your mask.
The weather reports look good – a chance to get out and enjoy the city – restaurants are looking forward to welcoming their customers.
 By Staff
April 10th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Shortage of school-bus drivers amid pandemic continues to temporarily disrupt services
Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS) is reminding families of the continued bus route disruptions due to the ongoing decrease of available drivers resulting from COVID-19 isolation requirements.
 Lots of busses – not enough drivers. “Every effort will be made to communicate cancellations as quickly as possible, but in many cases, we will have minimal notice as drivers continue to follow public health guidelines and minimize risk to students,” says David Colley, General Manager of Halton Student Transportation Services.
To stay informed about bus route cancellations, families can:
• Visit the Halton Student Transportation Service Alerts page for up-to-date route cancellations and delays
• Register for Delay/Cancellation email notifications via the HSTS Parent Portal
• For instant delay notifications, download the Delays App to your smartphone: BusPlanner Delay App
We understand the impact that this has on families and we thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
 By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
We published a three part interview with ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte.
 The earning curve was the steepest Stolte had ever experienced. This has not been an easy council to interview. It has been difficult to get a clear sense as to how well they work together and the kind of leadership that has been available to the newcomers.
One said to us early in the term of office that he had been told “not to talk to you” – this one has always been easily swayed.
The five newcomers are certainly a mixed bag – each of them has struggled with the size of the job they got elected to – every one of them will tell you – if they are honest with themselves, that they are way in over their heads – but they work hard and do their best.
A situation has arisen that has the potential to tear this council apart. It should break in a few days; it is expected to be on the city council agenda for April 19th. It might be on the agenda as a Closed session item because it relates to the behavior of a person that we are choosing not to name at this point.
 Councillors Stolte and Kearns tend to work together and support the positions each takes. The collegiality that Councillor Stolte thought existed does not exist. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward has turned out to be a very divisive Mayor – who has not been able to create a council, made up of people new to the game, and turn them into independent operators who buy into the big picture and work as a team to end up with a city that is going to see massive population growth requiring literally hundreds of high rise towers.
Meed Ward has chosen the photo op and social media route. A woman who consistently talks up her background as a journalist has yet to hold an open press conference.
She favours situations, such as her perch at CHML where she is never pressed on serious issues or Cogeco where she has a program of her own.
Posing as a journalist is just plain phony – she knows better but up until recently Meed Ward has had a tribe of supporters who believe she can do no wrong.
 Marianne Meed Ward didn’t do all that much to mentor the new members to Council I was once a fan; she was a strong council member who really knew how to go for the juggler. She taught former Councillor and former Mayor Rick Goldring a tough lesson during the last meeting of that council. She was the best choice for the city in 2018
There is a lot in what Shawna Stolte said during our interview – she was always careful to ensure that she didn’t talk about natters that were debated in Closed sessions – she did say that she has very strong views on the way the city chooses to slip into a Closed session.
Teaching the members of this council that they have an obligation to communicate with their constituents has not been easy. Most feel that their Newsletter is how they can speak to their constituents – the obligation is to open themselves up to media that can ask informed questions.
Stole has taken a first bold step. Her Father would be proud.
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
April 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Part 3 of a 3 part interview.
As we prepared to bring the interview to an end we asked ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte what she would do differently if she were to serve a second term; what did she get right and what did she get wrong. She was surprisingly direct in answering the question.
 The debate that ended a 24 year career in municipal politics; Jack Dennison on the left with Shawna Stolte on the right during a debate at Nelson High School. “I think I focused on what I ran on. I ran on the tree canopy protection, on affordable housing. I ran on engagement and a voice at City Hall. I ran on improving public transport and I ran on services for seniors. A lot of other issues have come up in the meantime, but I feel like I have stuck by what people chose to vote on me on.
“This is what I didn’t do right and this is a mistake I’m not going to make again. I did not learn how to use my system.
“It took me till halfway through the term to understand how to work well with my assistant and how to be a 10.
Editor’s note: The following two paragraphs are highlighted – they are very relevant to the decision Mayor Meed Ward made revise a Council meeting agenda
“There is no fault in how things worked out in assigning me an administrative assistant. (City staff choose who a Council members assistant is going to be – there is no input from the Council member.) During my first week on the job my assistant was very open and said she didn’t want to be here. She said she had a one year contract. She said she wanted to work in the Clerk’s office doing election work. She said “that’s where I want to be. I don’t want to be an assistant but I was sent up here because it’s my home job and I plan to get out of here as soon as I can.”
“I appreciated the honesty, it was better than finding out all of a sudden. So within six months she was gone. I went through June, July, August, September and October, four months of not having an assistant . I was bounced around . I did appreciate all the other assistants taking a turn helping me out but it left me with no ability to fully understand the practices or procedures on my end. I then had a contract assistant for about five months before I got Nancy. She came in three weeks before the pandemic. It was a rough.
“Something else I didn’t know. I assumed work in the city was done in a collaborative way.
“The learning curve, the confidence in being able to handle that learning curve and being able to handle the level of responsibility and expectation of the role and expectation on myself in the role was immense.
“And things were coming at us at a fierce pace; all five of the newly elected were struggling.
“I really wanted to dive into the issues and into the best practices of the city. I think that’s a piece of work that has surprised me the most.
“Naively, I discovered how much work needed to be done on policies, practices and procedures.
“Especially with council – so much of my work had to be focused much more internally than I was expecting.
“Going into a second term I would like to do things on two levels: the personal things, the things that you aspire to – I think I can get this done.
“And then the bigger picture, the things that I really think are critical fundamental for the way the city grows, because we have huge changes..
 Seven new towers will be built in three phases with a projected population of about 2500 people. “The growth at the GO stations where we are going to build this city and add 25 to 30% in the way of new population. The growth is real.
“This community is in transition; it is growing and evolving so quickly. I do think council should be bigger. I would love to see some consideration given to a council that’s made up of Ward councillors and councillors at large. I had a meeting with the city manager and councillors from Thunder Bay where they have that model.
“I think a model of having councillors doing constituent work and having votes on major city issues is important but I also really believe strongly in the model of councillors at large who do not have a ward to oversee they more have a portfolio – perhaps two councillors at large one who has for an example of a portfolio of environment, public transportation, and planning, where they kind of focus like they’re the higher focus on bigger issues that are city wide.
“Because I do think, having worked with the other councillors there still this protectionism around a lot of little things.
“Regional representation can stay the way it is just add two City Councillors at large. I think that would take Council up to nine. I think whenever you have a group dynamics, the smaller the group, the more opportunity there is for stronger personalities to have a bigger impact on a smaller group. And I think that that is part of the challenge for the City Council. I think if there would be less opportunity for strong dynamics if there were two more councillors added in. And I think when you look at our fellow regional councils, they’re all 11 to 13 members. I think going up to nine is reasonable.
“There’s a bigger picture that has stunned all of us. The challenge for all of us is immense.
 The proposal is for 40 storeys – it will be less than that – begging the question- is Brant and Lakeshore the place for this kind of building. “The size of the developments that were coming forward; the determination as to what was going to happen at the intersection of Brant and Lakeshore where two huge towers were being proposed.
“The Planning department was overwhelmed – how were we to fully understand the long term implications?”
I once asked a council member I was having a conversation with about the vision for the city in the Strategic Plan.
What vision was the response. There is no vision. When I put this response to Stolte she responded:
“I think anytime you’ve got a new council coming in with a new city manager, that vision is going to be preliminary and will need a lot of tweaking. I think this next term hopefully with some returning members, – oh my gosh, a whole new council again, would not be very helpful for the community. I don’t start the learning curve all over again.”
“I would like to improve public transportation, though from an environmental perspective, hopefully get more environmentally friendly transit, to get people out of cars. We need to tackle the environmental issues as well as the traffic issues that we’re dealing with.
“I want to land this housing strategy complete with immediate short term, medium term and long term action items. I want it to be actionable, come heck or high water. I am not going to be okay letting this housing strategy become a policy that gets stuck on a shelf or not implemented.
 The public hasn’t had much in the way of opportunity to watch what the Working Group has done. The need to do everything by Zoom has been a problem. “The Working Group on Housing is sending out messages left, right and center to staff about the expectations that will go to council. There are some pretty high expectations for the implementation of the housing strategy.
“One of the things that I really want to continue to focus on is low rise residential construction guidelines. Right now it’s the Wild West out there. There are no rules. The contractors doing low rise, residential construction are not managed and it is the residents in these areas that are suffering.
“I have been working on this problem for two years trying to get some changes made. Cary Clark has been helping. He’s been the champion for it but has admitted to me that his authority to effect change is extremely limited, which I understand. There are parts of the city where there is a lot of this work taking place with no low rise residential construction management in place.
“There are places in my ward where you have three, four, sometimes five, infill properties, private residential properties being bought, torn down and rebuilt. There’s no guidelines – which results in construction vehicles and porta potties out on the street and piles of debris.
“There are construction management rules for the bigger developments, not for infill projects and it is awful for some of these residential streets.
“The problem is that there are six different bylaws that need to be amended. There is a report coming from the Legal department in April. I finally put my foot down and said I need a summary of these bylaws from the legal department to hear what’s getting in our way. And what strategies and solutions are we going to implement in these bylaws so that we can actually get some of these construction guidelines in place because it’s awful for some of these families who are trying to live their quiet life and they’re surrounded by construction. That’s worse for them. Because they have it literally outside their bedroom window. Literally.”
 Nothing about the antics from this lady. I said that would be the last question but not quite.
What was the funniest thing funniest thing that happened in the first four years ?
“I can’t tell you. Off the record I might tell you some of the antics that took p[lace on the seventh floor of City Hall. We’ll leave it at that. Okay.”
The first four years have been a real ride for the five elected for the first time. They were new and there was nothing in the way of a support system for them, no one to mentor them.
They had to rely on what they could learn from the city manager, the man they made the decision to hire.
Nothing from us on those antics.
Part 1
Part 2
 By Pepper Parr
April 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 Marianne Meed Ward filing nomination papers while hubby captures the moment. The rules that will be enforced this election would not permit anything like this. For those who thought Mayor Marianne Meed Ward might decide to run for the office of Regional Chair and take on Jane McKenna directly – we have to dash your hopes.
While she has not yet filed her nomination papers – no one can file until early May – Meed Ward has created a campaign committee. They met recently at the Legion with some people taking part via Zoom.
Our source points out that no money spent – it was just a meeting that included about 30 + people.
No names from us at this point – several were a surprise. There does not appear to be anyone from her first campaign.
Some bruised egos for sure.
More in the fullness of time.
By Staff
April 10th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Local artiest, Helen Griffith, took these pictures of a fox in her back yard and made the following comments on her Facebook page:
Last week we had this beautiful fox in our backyard. I think it’s pups may have been removed from a neighbour’s yard and the fox seemed to be calling and looking for them the night before as well as in the morning. Such a sad sound to hear, but probably safer for all the local small pets.
 By Pepper Parr
April 9th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The interview we had with Councillor Shawna Stolte was extensive At the end of part 1 she was elected and getting used to the job and realizing she faced the steepest learning curve of her life.
Being a city Councillor is all about reports; many of the agendas run over 200 pages.
 Councillors Bentivegnia and Stolte during the first time Councillors were back in Chambers. Does a Council member have any input to the reports?
“Not really,” said Stolte, ” It comes to you, and you can talk to staff about a report but once it is on the agenda it is part of the public record and can only be changed by a motion from a member of Council.
“But you can certainly have conversations with staff about amendments that you can bring forward and do some collaborative work with staff and other council members behind the scenes before it gets to committee.
“Staff will hesitate, say there are risks., we’re not sure, we don’t think this is a good idea – When that happens it’s a whole new ballgame.”
Stolte had a clear sense as to the changes she feel are needed to make council meetings both more productive and truly engage the public.
 Getting the idea through to staff was a challenge – but she persisted and eventually prevailed.. There is now a Working Group – the story on how it got to where it is – is both instructive and revealing.
While a Housing Strategy was part of the Strategic Plan and was made a focal point in what council wanted to do in this term of office it didn’t get much attention in the first years of this term.
It was the push from Stolte that resulted in the creation of a Working Group “primarily because of a push from my background – social work and housing development.”
“Staff were already planning a conversation about housing; it became a priority- few knew then just how big of a priority it was going to be.
 The in force Official Plan Given the interim control bylaw, the work being done on the Official Plan the Housing Strategy got put on the back-burner. It became quite evident every time a conversation was had that Council had to get a handle on housing – it was becoming a crisis.
“We had to figure out a way to get it back off the back burner during a period of time when the city had not yet reorganized the planning department.
They were overloaded, they were overwhelmed. They had too many assets on their plate. And putting the housing strategy forward looked like it was not going to happen in this term. “Come heck or high water” Stolte wasn’t prepared to sit and do nothing.
Stolte understood all this – what she didn’t want to see staff beavering away with no public input while the process was taking place.
Stolte wanted a Working Group that would parallel what the city was going to be doing. The working Group would be drawn from people who volunteered.
“So I started pushing. There were numerous meetings and conversations with Heather MacDonald, the Director of Planning at the time; pushing and pushing and saying we need to get this this on.
“That took months of back and forth with myself and staff – helping them feel more comfortable about changes and not relinquishing control but understanding that they would maintain control over the appropriate piece but that they had to be willing to let residents have some control over this housing strategy and what it meant to the citizens of the city.
 Heather MacDonald Executive Director Planning before she retired. “Heather MacDonald at least had the wherewithal to say Okay, let’s get the consultants on board and working. I was saying I didn’t want this to be a situation where residents are informed about what the housing strategy is going to be – we needed to make sure that residents have a very strong voice right from the get go.
“That I was trying to implement or at least propose a model where there would be like a three ways tool with staff, consultants and residents working as a triad right from the beginning. That was met with a great deal of discomfort from staff and because they were anxious about losing control over the scope of work or losing control over the mandate or control over the recommendations coming out.
“I pointed out the success had with the Working Group and with to key staff” showing them that ” Your not losing control. It’s just going to be a different way.
We asked Stolte if the experience with the Working Group manifested itself anywhere else in the process and the other departments on any other issues?
“It’s starting to” said Stolte. It is starting and it has been really exciting. I did not know that Tim (City Manager) and the City Clerk and others were watching this housing strategy working group model, because it was a new model that we were using, because I had pushed to say that I was going to take the resident piece out of the whole process and I had a staff direction and a whole background piece ready to be part of a staff direction to create a task force a separate task force. I was wanting to get the residents voice in place. And it was literally the night before I was putting that forward that Staff said okay timeout, we will implement a version of your task force we understand that this will happen one way or the other. We don’t want it to be completely outside of what we’re doing. So we’ll bring it in and we’ll call it a working group.
 Director of Community Planning Mark Simeoni is part of the Working Group on Housing Strategy And then I had to fight to say it’s not going to be a citizen advisory committee. I don’t want these guys seeing a draft after the fact I want their voice right from the beginning. And so that started this new model of which I didn’t know that senior staff were watching to see how it was going to work.
And we have heard feedback now. It’s been nine months that we’ve been having these meetings, and we’ve heard feedback that a lot of senior management, the organization are seeing it as a model to move forward with that has been really successful. And the staff are comfortable knowing that they didn’t lose control the way they thought they would.
Stolte was a licensed real estate agent with a degree in social work; they are key parts of her DNA; they determine her agenda. People and housing were the top priorities.
The Planning department was doing its work putting in place the process, getting clear terms of reference, determining which staff members would be part of the initiative.
 The Working Group has been meeting virtually – they are expected to move into live meetings soon. The Working Group was created by Council; Stole, the Mayor and Councillor Sharman were on part of the Group that made Stolte the Chair
Public access to the Working Group meetings was limited and on more than one occasion media were excluded.
The first meeting of the Working Group that I sat in on was mind blowing. I heard the Director of Community Planning talk about the importance of Community using his personal experience. This seldom happens at committee meetings – Staff do not talk about their personal experiences – they are professionals.
I heard, and reported on the President of the West End Home Builders Association talk about affordable housing as a responsibility of the developers – he added “we are part of the solution but we are not THE solution, or words to that effect.
To me it was quite clear, some very, very solid stuff was coming out of the working group.
I asked Councillor Stolte: Where else do we do you want to this model being used in the city ?
 Councillor Shawna Stolte – some far ranging changes have been put on the table. Will they take root – or will they kill the messenger? “Any of these major initiatives we have; environmental; development; the review of the Strategic Plan; anything that is a priority for the community that needs to have that front facing voice.
“Another of those changes has to be how we do business in the city; the working group taught us how we can do business differently.
“It’s just having a citizen voice at the forefront, not as an afterthought at some point when a draft is basically already begun. It’s a form of engagement. That’s not the totality of engagement by any stretch.
“Now that the draft of the housing strategy has been released the Working Group is talking about engagement opportunities to allow the public to give feedback on this draft housing strategy.
“Staff were saying, Oh, we’re gonna do an online survey and we’re gonna have a zoom town call about it.
“I started saying, how about a park pop up? Like, let’s get a tent down and Spencer Smith Park and it was like, Oh, we’re not sure and I’m like, come on. Come on. We’re gonna have some music festival.
“Staff are kind of iffy on it, so I brought it up at the Working Group and they just ate it up. They were like, Oh, we have incentives. You can get businesses to get coffee. It was just flying. And I’m kind of looking at staff saying: See ?”
We asked Councillor Stolte – now that you are in the fourth year of your term – looking back what I didn’t you do right.
Part 1 of a series
Part 3 will be about what Stole thinks she got right, what she got wrong and what her agenda will be in the next election in October.
By Staff
April 9th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
 The Baxter was a very successful condo development; seen as a prime location. During the month of March, the average price for a condo apartment in Burlington was $797,000, 37.2% higher than March 2021 when we saw the average price at $581,000 and up slightly from last month $775,000.
The price per square foot was up in March at $791, compared to $640 the same month last year. In March, properties sold for just over 111% of the listed price, down from 116% last month and on par with last month in 8 days.
Sales were slightly down 4.4% as compared to March 2021 and up slightly from last month.
The condo market is a bit of a different beast, condo investors are still strong and although as markets start to shift we tend to see it first in properties like condos, inventory levels remain low and the market is still performing strong.
By Denis Gibbons
April 9th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The boys of summer were getting ready to play their season opener in a ballpark they had not played in for close to two years.
The crowd in the stadium was expected to top 50,000 people.
And the fans were pumped.
Anything less than a win, a big win was going to be seen as a bummer.
I interviewed nine Burlingtonians at the GO station to get their take on the game they were going to watch.
Interesting bit of information – a lot of the people I interviewed were from the Niagara region – I thought they would have boarded the GO train at Aldershot.
 Nolan and Elliott Jackson Nolan Jackson, 16, (left) and brother Elliott, 12, had tickets for Opening Day of 2021, but couldn’t make it because the Blue Jays had to open in Florida during the pandemic. They didn’t miss this one, though.
Nolan, a middle infielder with the Oakville-based Ontario Royals, said the Jays have a lot of young talent like Bo Bichette and Chapman. “But pitching could be their weakness,” he said. “They need to strengthen their bullpen.”
 Barb Parsons Attending her 10th Opening Day game, Barb Parsons said Toronto’s chances are very good this year, barring injuries. “They have a lot of talent and good chemistry,” she said. Although it was her 10th opener, it was her first Blue Jays game in 12 years. That was before her husband passed away.
 Jo Savelli A public health nurse in Hamilton, Burlington’s Jo Savelli set an excellent example by wearing her Blue Jays mask as she waited for the GO train. As a 14-year-old, Savelli watched the team’s major league debut in the snow on TV in 1977.
Later that year she was a member of a Burlington team that won the Provincial Women’s Softball Association championship in its age group. What did she pay for her ticket? “$145, but I’m right behind home plate, five rows up. And it pays for all the vacations I’m not taking!” she said.
 Ian and Liam MacRae Eleven-year-old Liam McRae, a second basemen with the Burlington Bulls minor peewee team, attended his first Opening Day with his father Ian, who has his own construction company Your Life Outside.
The father-son duo have been to spring training games in Dunedin, Florida, but were looking forward to seeing a healthy George Springer leading off for the Blue Jays. What impresses the Central elementary school student about Springer? “He’s really good at his position and he smiles a lot!”
 Tyler Maskell A last-minute ticket worth $140 landed Tyler Maskell, 26, in a seat a field level near home plate. On his first Opening Day ever, Maskell was anxious for his first peek at the Blue Jays newly acquired third baseman Matt Chapman.
“He should put us over the top,” said Maskell, who also was lucky enough to be a spectator at the Blue Jays first game back in Toronto last July when they took the field at Rogers Centre for the first time in 670 days storming out of a tunnel, smoke shooting into the air behind them as the home crowd roared. They ran as a team towards the infield, their path lined on each side by 100 healthcare workers waving Blue Jays flags.
 The Jesus Family It was the second Opening Day visit for Burlington’s Trish Jesus, who made the trip with her husband Josh and sons Jeffrey, 10, and Darryl, 7. The family created these colorful signs at home.
“We’re in the nosebleeds,” Trish said. But that afforded the boys a perfect view of their favorite player George Springer in centre field. Josh, who has taken in three or four openers, said the best was the year the family had free tickets in a private box. “That’s when Bautista and Encarnacion were playing,” he said.
 John Droughan A condo superintendent, 33-year-old John Droughan -paid $60 for 200 Level seats in the outfield on his first Opening Day. “It’s exciting,” Droughan said. “With Vladdy and Bo, it’s going to be an electric offence. As long as our pitching holds up, we’ll have a good year. Droughan’s fondest memory was attending a playoff game against Texas during the Blue Jays long playoff run in 2015, which ended with Toronto losing to the Kansas City Royals in Game 6 of the American League championship series.
 Dayna Naim A student at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Dayna Nairn has a huge affection for Bo Bichette and she’s not afraid to show it, as the photo indicates. “He’s my age and he’s a shortstop like I was when I played,” Nairn said.
Nairn bought a ticket online for her initial Opening Day. “The Jays spent a lot of money during the off-season, I think their chances are very good.”
 Doug McKillop and his daughter Ashleigh Doug McKillop’s father Lionel was in the stands at Exhibition Stadium in April of 1977 when the Blue Jays made their major league debut in the snow. He still has the ticket stub. Friday he took in his 15th Opening Day with daughter Ashleigh, who has been to seven or eight herself.
“There’s no excuse why they can’t get to the World Series,” Doug said. “They just have to stay healthy.
The first three innings were not good for the Jay – from that point on they took control of the game and ended up winning the season opener against the Texas Rangers 10-8. The fans on the GO trains going home were happy campers.
 Every seat in the ball park had a team cap on the seat. Keep sake for sure.
By Staff
April 8th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Yesterday we got the federal budget that promises all kinds of money for housing people can afford and a tightening of the rules that will govern real estate speculators.
Today we get to look at what life is really like in the Burlington real estate market.
 From the Rocca Sisters:
During the month of March, the average price for a freehold property in Burlington was $1,510,482, 17.3% higher than March 2021 when we saw the average price at $1,288,129 and slightly down from the average price of $1,626,700 last month.
During the month of March, properties sold for 116% of the listed price down from 124% last month and in 6 days, on average, on par with last month.
Sales were still down 23.8% as compared to March 2021.
Inventory levels, although still historically low, have increased substantially over the last month. The market started to shift slightly mid-late February and we continue to see the transition day to day.
By Pepper Parr
April 8th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette had an opportunity to do an extensive interview with ward 4 Council member Shawna Stolte. The is the first of a series that cover the interview.
A section of this interview was not correct. Changes have been made to the paragraph starting with: “The day after we were sworn in…”
The fist step into the world of municipal politics for Shawna Stolte came about when she learned that the East Plains Road United Church was having problems and approached the city with an offer to sell them the property for $1.
In exchange for the helping to redevelop the property into a smaller sanctuary space, larger community space for brownies and guides and daycare and add some affordable housing for seniors.
The city said no, thank you. That’s not the business we are in and gave up the opportunity.
 Shawna Stolte at one of her first council meetings – looking a little lost and confused. Rory Nisan, who won in ward 3 doesn’t look any more confident. “That was the first time that I thought okay, wait a second” said Stolte. ” We are missing huge opportunities here. And what the heck’s going on down there at the city hall? So I started to pay more attention to what was going on and started to get engaged in that conversation about there being city councillors who had been on council for a long time.
“I believe that you get in, you learn the job, you do some good work, and if you have that time clock ticking, you know that you’ve got the pressure to get stuff done.
“You don’t assume that you’ve got an extended period of time to wander along. I think if there’s no term limit, you start to think – yeah, if it takes five years for this to happen, it takes five years, whereas if you have term limits, you’re married to much more of a head space that you need to get this work done in a timely manner and move on and then let somebody else have a turn.
“Also, the opportunity for succession planning is lost if there is the assumption that this will be your final term going in.
Getting into the game:
“I had lunch with Marianne, she was the ward 2 Councillor then and told her I was thinking of running. I said: “give me every reason why I shouldn’t do this; try and talk me out of doing this. By the end of that dinner, I was convinced I was running
“She didn’t convince me – I just became convinced I could do a better job than the person I was planning to run against. I began thinking about what my mandate would be and did some delegations on the private tree bylaw.
“I spent time with city councillors in other jurisdictions and asked them some really down to earth questions. I had become part of the converted and believed that fresh voices and fresh perspectives might be really helpful for the City of Burlington.
The campaign:
“I’m not sure I actually ever felt that I was in over my head during the campaign, because I went into it knowing going up against a 24 year incumbent that I had about a 10% chance of winning and that’s actually a comfortable place to sit because I could run my campaign naturally and just go for it without worrying about whether I was going to win.
 Ward 4 incumbent Jack Denison, on his way to an election defeat. “I wasn’t at all sure I could win – but there was a day in the middle of August – I remember coming home and saying to my husband that I felt the tide turning. I had done just enough door knocking and was hearing from enough supportive constituents to realize that I actually could win.
“I don’t think Jack ever knew he was gonna lose. I know he thought that he was in trouble when I started to hear people say ‘we’re seeing Jack campaigning harder than he’s ever campaigned before’. That felt good because it made me realize that he knew there was some competition this time. But I don’t think he ever thought he could lose.
“He referred to me as the non issue
“When he refused to take part in the ECOB debate at Nelson high school but then showed up late Jack knew t he was in trouble.
Now you’re elected:
I pick my jaw up off the floor and felt a little sick with that imposter syndrome which clung to me during the first year in office.
I don’t remember a lot of the first year; the learning curve was so incredibly steep. It was probably the most intense learning I have ever done in my career.
 They were a newly elected city council – five newcomers and two with eight years experience. “You really don’t know what the hell you’re doing. You haven’t had a chance to read the procedural manual.
The day after the new council was sworn in 2018, they met in a closed session. The Gazette was not aware that Council was meeting.
The public was aware that Marianne Meed Ward did not want James Ridge as her city manager. Ridge knew that she didn’t want him and told the security guard that if Meed Ward won he was “toast”
Sure enough – when the new council came out of the closed session a statement was issued announcing that Ridge was history.
Stolte wasn’t prepared to talk about what was said during that Closed session of council – she did talk about how she felt being part of such a major decision such as this one.
“None of us had any experience doing this. We had to trust the two returning council members (Meed Ward and Sharman) I think it was very helpful during the first year to have councillors who were kind of on opposite sides of the political spectrum.”
Getting settled in –
“Biggest surprise in the first six months ?
“I mistakenly thought and assumed that council would be having team meetings, sorting out some of the work we were gonna be doing. So finding out about quorum, which makes complete utter democratic sense, but the challenges of not being able to have those collaborative conversations about the issues was a challenge
 A lot of listening in the first 18 months “Understanding why and completely agreeing with why we cannot do that was probably what instructed me first and foremost. How are we supposed to get work done? Like, really? I’m trying to wrap my head around how the work of counsel gets done.
“The early move to more Workshops helped in a big, big way. It has helped in that overcame some of the problems I was having but in a limited way, not as much as you’d like to think. Partly because the workshops are so scripted. We don’t get the opportunity to have that more organic conversation about things.
“The biggest surprise on the positive side ? I didn’t know that we were going to make any positive or negative decisions. I found myself saying: Wow. So I can do this
“The beauty and democracy of the flip side of being able to help effect change on such a big level. We were making decisions on issues that were a lot bigger than I was expecting to, you know, interim control by law; those huge issues and just knowing that I was in this position of representing residents of the city and helping to effect changes in a positive way.
“There’s a point where it just hits you – you’re like, wow, this is incredible, an incredible honour. That’s how you feel when you’re representing people. It does feel like an honour. I think I would like to think that most elected officials with integrity would realize that and respect that it is an honour to be positioned to be making decisions on behalf of others.”
Part 2 will follow
 By Staff
April 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau is investigating a robbery that took place at the Burlington Mall (located at 777 Guelph Line).
On April 6, 2022, at approximately 8:00 pm, three suspects entered the Rogers Wireless retail location inside the Burlington Mall and demanded cell phones while one suspect displayed a Conducted Energy Weapon (commonly referred to as a Taser).
 This is ugly – these men were prepared to hurt people. The suspects loaded garbage bags with approximately $200, 000 worth of phones and fled in a waiting vehicle driven by a fourth suspect.
The vehicle is a 2019 white Kia Sedona with Ontario licence plate CJWL 247. The vehicle was reported stolen out of York region.
No physical injuries to employees were reported to police.
Suspect 1: Male, black, with a slim build. He was wearing a black pullover hooded sweater with vertical white panel with the word “Reckless” embroidered on it. Also wearing a black baseball hat and white shoes.
Suspect 2: Male, black, with a slim build. He was wearing a black full zip hooded sweater with black track pants and white sunning shoes.
Suspect 3: Male, black, with a medium build. He was wearing a grey full zip hooded sweater with black pants and black high-top sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2316.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.
Media Inquiries:
 By Pepper Parr
April 6th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Another one of those picture being worth 1000 words story.
City Council met in the Council Chamber today for the first time in two years.
 Every member of Council – except Councillor Nisan, was there along with the City Manager and the City Clerk
Some city staff were also in the Chamber.
By Pepper Parr
April 7th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Most people are aware of the financial hit the hospitality sector has taken as a result of the pandemic.
The deep thinkers at the Economic Development Corporation and the leadership at the Burlington Restaurant Association believe it is going to take between 18 and 24 months for some to recover.
Those that had to take on a load of debt are going to need as much as three to five years to fully recover.
 Craig Kowalchuk – on the way to a come-back? One restaurant operate appears to be positioning himself for a new launch.
Craig Kowalchuk who operated Emmas Back Porch – very successfully for years has a new brand name on his T shirt.
Kowalchuk took the position that the pandemic was going to last a long time and renting space that he could not use due to closures was just not good business.
He put the corporation into bankruptcy and gave the landlord the keys.
The landlord gussied up the place a bit and does some private rentals.
When the conditions are right – look for Kowalchuk to appear in a new location- unless of course the owner of the property sees wisdom in welcoming back his former tenant.
 It was the best spot for a brew and a decent meal – out on the patio overlooking the lake.. It will re-open at some point – under whose operation – no one is certain at this point.
By Staff
April 5th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
The Business Before 9 breakfast that the Burlington Chamber of Commerce puts on is going to be a barn burner on April 21st – Ron Foxcroft is going to be talking about Winning in Business.
 Michael Jordan during his first college level basketball game scoring points in 1981. Foxcroft is in the lower left hand corner What does that mean?
Try these for bullet points from his presentation:
Adjusting to the New Normal – Having a positive, innovative, strategic attitude.
Quality Customer Service: BAD – GOOD – SERVICE RECOVERY
Work Life Balance – Volunteer in your community and learn from smart people.
Get Some Grit – Never get too high, Never get too low.
Everybody Needs a Mentor – Benefits of having a Mentor.
Winning in Business – Show Respect to customers, vendors, teammates
 Funny in places, wise advice – as a manual for leaders it is very good. Every nickel earned gets passed along to charities.. Foxcroft laid it all out in a book recently: Forty Ways of the Fox in which he suggests every business person pay attention to what Santa Claus does when he is working.
Sound a bit zingy – and off the wall?
Foxcroft was telling business leaders how important their role is in setting the day – and points to Santa Claus who is in a great mood from the moment he sits down until his day is over and every child that sits beside him is treated as the most important person in the room.
That is what leaders are supposed to do – make time on your calendar to attend. Link to making a reservations HERE.
 Foxcroft earned an international reputation as a basketball referee and went on to create and market a whistle that did not have a pea in it and wouldn’t jam
Those whistles are sold in 140 countries – he can’t tell you how many he has sold other than to say that his first production run was for xxx whistles that he gave to his fellow basketball referees.
He can say that on average he sells 15,000 every day and has been doing that for 35 years.
This is a guy you want to listen to – not only for his wisdom – but he is one hell of an entertainer..
His book will be on sale at the Business Before 9 .
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