By Gazette Staff

May 17th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

In-person registration support is also available at the start of the registration launch at Customer Service desks at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre (Thursday, May 21) and Tansley Woods Community Centre, on registration launch days. Please note, staff have the same access to programs as on the City’s website; in-person registration does not provide priority access.

For assistance leading up to registration launch day visit our Service Burlington page for regular recreation customer service hours.

New! Online virtual waiting room

On the upcoming registration launch day for summer for adult programs and swimming lessons, you’ll see something different when registering online – a virtual waiting room! Learn more about how the virtual waiting room works.

By Gazette Staff

May 16th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

Mapleview will be open Monday while the Burlington Centre will be closed

The move, made by the provincial government earlier this year, allows retail businesses to stay open on both the May long weekend and the Family Day long weekend in February.

By Gazette Staff

May 15th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

The weather this weekend sounds promising.

Burlington Green is holding an Eco Action day that will include:

🐦 Guided Bird Walk
🌍 The Four Sisters of Mother Indigenous Teaching
🌊 Beach Litter Clean-Up (or invasive plant removal workshops!)

*ADDED* Invasive garlic mustard and burdock removal workshops!

BurlingtonGreen keeps the city’s beaches clean and free of rubbish. You can help keep it this way.

All  at the Beach on Saturday, May 16th, 8:30 am to noon. (1094 Lakeshore Road)

You can also drop in for climate resources and family-friendly eco-fun, including pollinator-friendly seed ball making, sharing your eco-actions, and nurdle discovery.

Beach clean up and invasive plant workshops are eligible for volunteer hours!

Click HERE to register

By Pepper Parr

May 13th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

Amazing what competition will do.

A Day or so ago, Dunkin’ Donuts announced it was returning to Canada and opening xxx locations across the country.

Today, Second Cup Café announced it will offer medium brewed coffee for $2 at participating locations across Canada, from May 13 until June 9.  The four-week offer, the promotion is available all day and reflects growing demand for added value in the daily routines of Canadians and their everyday purchases.

The limited-time offer gives guests a simple way to enjoy Second Cup’s signature brewed coffee at a reduced price, whether they are starting their morning, taking an afternoon coffee break, or stopping in for a quick coffee and snack during the day.

“Coffee is part of the daily rituals of so many Canadians,” says Roxane Desjardins, Marketing Director at Second Cup Café. “With this offer, we are giving guests an accessible way to enjoy a premium coffee experience at Second Cup, at a time when value continues to matter.”

About Second Cup Café

A Canadian staple since 1975, Second Cup Café offers premium-quality coffee and specialty beverages. Focusing on sustainability and ethical sourcing, Second Cup provides customers with a refined and inviting café experience that celebrates coffee culture while supporting local communities.

About Foodtastic

Foodtastic is one of Canada’s largest restaurant franchisors, operating more than 1,200 locations across the country. Its diverse portfolio includes Freshii, Quesada, Pita Pit, Second Cup, Milestones, and over 22 other banners. Committed to quality, innovation, and growth, Foodtastic continues to expand its presence across North America.

This level of consolidation is never a good thing medium and long term for consumers.

By Tim Jones 

May 14th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

If you’ve ever been to a Las Vegas casino or, indeed, any large casino resort, you’ll probably have noticed the jackpot tickers above the machines, notably slot machines.

They’ll show massive prizes, sometimes worth millions of dollars. It is quite alluring, and it’s conceivable that it attracts a lot of people to casinos, hoping for that lucky spin.

Do you know how these prizes are won?

The same experience occurs with online progressive jackpot slots, though there are certain differences. The main similarity, though, is that the headline prizes can be just as big, reaching several million dollars with some games. But do you know how these prizes are won? It’s actually quite simple, but it’s interesting when you break down the mechanics.

A prize funded by players

To start with, let’s explain what a progressive jackpot is. Every game technically has a jackpot, i.e., a top prize, but progressive jackpots are somewhat different. It is, in effect, a prize funded by players. Usually, it starts with a seed amount provided by the casino, let’s say $100K, and then a small amount is taken from each wager – small enough that you won’t notice, like 1 cent for every dollar – and that grows the jackpot.

As you can gather, it takes a lot of playing to grow the jackpot to several million. For instance, let’s say that the average wager was $1 and the jackpot contribution was 1%, then it would take 100 million spins to add a million to the prize, or a billion spins to add 10 million. There is an economies-of-scale principle applied by casinos, so people will be playing the same game, growing the jackpot across different casinos. Sometimes multiple games are connected to a jackpot network, allowing the prize to grow more quickly.

Everyone wants to see this show up on the screen. It does happen.

So, how is the prize won? It’s not based on a specific set of results, nor some combination of symbols. It’s random. The developer behind the game will use a random number generator to decide the exact amount that will be paid as the jackpot. For example, it might be $3,743,164.54. Nobody will know that figure – not even the casino operators.

The tipping point

Can you guess how it is awarded? Well, the player whose jackpot contribution tips the balance by reaching the previously determined amount will be awarded the jackpot. For instance, if we use the figure above: imagine that the jackpot currently stood at $3,743,164.53, and your $1 bet added the final penny to the jackpot; you would be awarded the prize. As we said, it’s quite simple.

Winning is a thrill!

The attraction of these games is that they are random. However, there are a couple of caveats. For a start, bigger bets are more likely to win. Why? Well, if you are betting $100 per spin, you are more likely to be the person who tips the balance with the jackpot contribution than the person playing for 20 cents. Secondly, some games, but certainly not all, will have minimum bet requirements to be eligible for the progressive jackpot. But everyone usually has a chance.

As you might expect, a mini internet ecosystem has grown up around online progressive jackpots, with websites tracking the prizes and discussing tactics. It is sometimes worthwhile checking these platforms to see where to find the biggest prizes, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it is impossible to tell when and where the massive prize will be delivered.

By Pepper Parr

May 13th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

Brenda Heatherington at the opening of the Performing Arts Centre 15 years ago.

Was it just 15 years ago that Brenda Heatherington presided over the Official opening of the Performing Arts Centre?

It has been an amazing period of time with some amusing bumps along the way.

On Thursday, May 28th at 7:00 pm the 26/27 program will be revealed

By Pepper Parr

May 13th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

What became clear very quickly at the City Standing Committee meeting earlier this week was that there is an election coming.

Chair of the meeting Rory Nisan, wore a tie for the first time in a long time: he is now a candidate for the Office of Mayor.

Time and attention were given to approve a new governance framework for advisory committees, with a comprehensive review scheduled for Q1 2027 to assess the effectiveness, structure, and engagement of these committees.

This approach to Community Engagement could disappear if the proposal outlined in the Staff Report get adopted by the new Council that will be elected in October.

Advisory committees were led by staff with smiles while residents pleaded their arguments for change. With votes to be had come October, Council said they were prepared to listen.

Those who pay attention to what happens at city hall have complained for years that Councillors gave less than lip service to what the Advisory Committees did with their time.

Some time after the election, in Q1 of  2027, we will see the Staff report. What Staff are setting out to do is set out in detail below. What comes of it will depend on the makeup of Council and who the Mayor is.  Two candidates so far:  Mayor Meed Ward has yet to file nomination papers.   Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns and Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan.

During the Council debate, there was agreement that the Advisory Committees need help.

Councillor Sharman said: “In the 16 years of being on Advisory Committees, I’ve often wondered why I was there. Despite the fact that we all know we are engaging advice, but we don’t actually take advice all that often. There is no formal way for them to give us advice … we haven’t figured out how to bake that into it.”

The Staff Report that was being debated suggested an approach.

Step 1: Is an Advisory Committee the appropriate engagement tool.
In Step 1, ACOCs should be viewed as one tool within the broader suite of engagement options outlined in Burlington’s Community Engagement Charter spectrum of participation. An ACOC should be considered when the level of engagement identified meets the criteria for Involve/Collaborate on the spectrum. In Step 1 identify whether an ACOC is the best community engagement option for the issue or topic at hand.

Consider the following:
Is the ACOC required by provincial legislation?
Is the topic appropriate for an ACOC? In consultation with the city’s transformation office team, determine the topic is appropriate if: or it is linked to the city’s strategic priorities or a major plan or project with significant  community impact; or it requires ongoing attention for at least the term of Council; or it will benefit from information and ideas generated through a deliberative approach; and o it is not already being addressed through another community engagement tool.

Is an ACOC an appropriate engagement tool?

In consultation with the city’s engagement team determine an ACOC is an appropriate engagement tool if:

A program is being designed and implemented that requires multiple sector buy-in and participation;
Interested parties expertise and actions form an integral part of the solution; The solution requires changes at the system level across various institutions and organizations – policies, procedures, bylaws, and programs; and
o Long term commitment and sustainability are key considerations.

Are there adequate resources to support an ACOC on this topic?

Adequate resources for an ACOC include:
A subject matter expert from a city department has capacity to act as staff liaison to the ACOC, including but not limited to attendance at meetings, providing strategic guidance, support training, work with ACOC Chair to set agenda,
support reporting and communication functions between the ACOC and Council, will provide the ACOC with information, opportunities to influence decision making by sharing views and values and setting priorities and respond to
requests for information;

Legislative Services has capacity to provide operational, logistical and procedural support for the ACOC, including but not limited to attendance at meetings, meeting documentation, procedural guidance, recruitment, training, operational
and logistical support; and funds to compensate and cover the participation-related expenses of ACOC members.

Step 2: Design the ACOC
In Step 2, once a decision to establish an ACOC is made, its purpose, formation, and design must be clearly articulated. Consider the following:

What is the mandate/purpose of the ACOC?

All ACOCs are intended to provide the City with considered, long-term, high-level guidance that is aligned with its strategic priorities; and

What is the anticipated level of activity and expected duration?

What should the membership composition of the ACOC be? Consider:

Which members of the community may be impacted by the outcome or decision;  Ensure residents from a variety of locations, languages, cultures, abilities and other demographics are invited to participate;

How lived and professional expertise will benefit the work of the ACOC; and

Which stakeholder groups should be engaged.

What recruitment methods should this ACOC use?

ACOC members should be recruited using a combination of strategies, including open recruitment, targeted recruitment, and representative random sampling.

Who is an appropriate staff liaison for this ACOC?

Staff liaisons should be senior staff members with subject matter expertise who can support high-level decision-making and bring a strong understanding of the City’s strategic goals and priorities.

How long is the ACOC required? Will the ACOC remain in place until the long-term project, plan, or policy is finalized?

Step 3: Launch and Support the ACOC
Step 3 outlines key operational components of ACOCs and serves as a checklist for staff responsible for proposing and establishing an ACOC, ensuring all necessary
details are considered.

Create the Terms of Reference (TOR);

Confirm the department staff liaison and Legislative Services support;
Identify budget requirements and available resources to support those needs;
Determine the expected duration and end date of the ACOC’s work;
Seek approval from City Council;
Develop a training plan for ACOC members and City staff who interact with and
support the ACOC;

Plan and prepare the agenda for the first meeting; and

Clearly articulate the methods of communication between the ACOC, staff and Council. How does input from ACOC’s contribute to the work of staff and decisions of
Council.

Step 4: Evaluate the ACOC
Step 4 outlines the process for reviewing and evaluating ACOCs to ensure they continue to provide long-term, strategic guidance aligned with the City’s priorities.
Conduct a review of the Terms of Reference (TOR);

Complete a self-assessment to evaluate the ACOC’s engagement process, identify its effectiveness, and highlight considerations for future engagement;

Assess the current duration of the ACOC and determine whether it should remain unchanged or be revised; and

Prepare an interim report to City Council that includes the TOR review, self-assessment findings, and any recommended changes.

Note: This framework is adapted from the City of Guelph’s Advisory Committee framework and modified to reflect local context and needs.