 By Staff
December 18th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The BOWSER Babes at Burlington Old Timers Hockey Club contribute to the Food Bank every year using the proceeds from their Christmas Dance. The cash was turned over in November – $4500. Went to the Food Bank.
On November 24th the BOHC hosted a Christmas Dance at the Burlington Royal Canadian Legion in support of the Burlington Food Bank.
On hand were some of the best dancers in the league and their wives! The fabulous live band for the night was the Stone Monkeys, featuring Shantelle Pfau on vocals, and as a Special Guest Singer/Performer, Cassidy Cummings, an aspiring Burlington youth and recent graduate of Mohawk’s Music programme.
 Shown here is Wendall Ahearn (President, BOHC), the BOWSER Babes (Barb Charon, ??, ??, ??, Michele Wood), Robin Bailey (Burlington Food Bank), and Colin Ashdown with Angelo Sottana (event organizers). Through player donations, prize table raffle tickets and a Christmas Home Baked goods table the league was able to raise $4,500 for the Burlington Food Bank to help them with their ongoing contribution to our community!
Burlington Food Bank
The Food Bank is committed to ensure that no one in Burlington struggles with hunger. They provide food to those in need. If you or someone you know is hungry and in need of help, call them at 905-637-2273. https://www.burlingtonfoodbank.ca
 By Ray Rivers
December 18th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It is a bit of a mess.
Does anyone think Donald Trump had deliberately engineered this incident to get at both China and Canada? Is this part of his America First vision, to reduce America’s trade with its two largest partners? Or has he done us a big favour with this wake-up call?
I’m not a lawyer but it’s my understanding that terms of our extradition arrangement with the US requires some kind of common rules/laws between the nations. In this case Huawei executive Ms. Meng is charged with violating US sanctions on Iran now that the US has pulled out of the Obama-negotiated Iran nuclear agreement.
 Those smiles didn’t last very long. This is what a trade war looks like. Donald Trump with Chinese leader -xi-jinping shaking hands. But Canada supports the deal and doesn’t observe those specific sanctions. So I’d bet a dollar that the judge hearing this case will rule in favour of Ms. Meng.
Furthermore, since this is supposed to be a matter of law, the recent intervention, by Trump tweet, about the relevance of this case to US-China trade negotiations has jeopardized the US position and its legal case. The Donald has made his demand for extradition sound like a political move rather than a technical legal matter. So let me double up on that bet.
And the judge presiding over this case might want to note how few US prosecutions for even more severe corporate crimes stateside land American executives in the big house. In most cases the corporation gets fined and the CEO goes off to break the law another day.
If I’m right we might expect Ms. Meng to be on the next flight to Beijing – if only the Chinese government had kept their cool. But something about this being a matter only for the courts fell on deaf ears in that virtual dictatorship where everything is political. Their plan was to play a little tit-for-tat, detaining a couple of Canadian nationals in an attempt to strong arm the Canadian government into releasing Ms. Meng without a trial. So now were she to be released it will appear to all the world that Canada caved in to Chinese blackmail.
This is the last thing that Mr. Trudeau needs right now as he is preparing his campaign for re-election next fall. He is already facing legal challenges from four provinces and the opposition leader on the federal carbon tax. Albertan political leaders and journalists are giving him grief over the stoppage of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and threatening a movement for Alberta’s separatism, as idiotic as that sounds. The NAFTA 2, aka USMCA, is still awaiting confirmation in both Canada and the USA and Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminum are still in place.
 The body language tells it all. Ms Meng, the Chief Financial Officer of a very powerful Chinese telecommunication giant being directed by a security officer who is paid to watch her every move while she is out on bail awaiting an extradition hearing. With Canada seriously in the running for a UN Security Council seat this time, Mr. Trudeau is under enormous pressure to demonstrate strength to resolve this situation. And there are a number of tools available to the federal government should this matter not be resolved appropriately. Whether Ms. Meng is extradited or not Canada should demand that the hostages being held in China are released and an apology for their detention is provided. Further, the return of more normal relations should include a commitment to refrain from future hostage taking by authorities there.
Unless that happens:
1. Canada could require Chinese tourists to meet the compulsory visa requirements China requires of us;
2. We might want to review our immigration policies regarding China; and
3. Since Canada exports only between a third and a quarter of what it imports from China we could restrict imports through higher tariffs. Applying import tariffs in line with those of the US would send a strong message of our displeasure. It would also possibly sooth over any American complaints over our handling of this problematic extradition process.
It is a rare moment when Donald Trump deserves being paraphrased, but his comments on trade – that the US should not continue to have a massive and on-going trade deficit with China – is food for thought. The sheer volume of imports of low value Asian made junk that fills the shelves at Walmart, Canadian Tire and the Dollar Stores here poses an environmental as well an economic problem for this country.
China generates almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, more that twenty times what Canada generates and almost double the US levels. And our consumption of all those imported goods paints us as an enabler despite our efforts to be seen as one of the good guys.
 Besides Canada’s biggest free trader, Mr. Trudeau, spent valuable political capital a little while ago trying to cement a formal (free) trading arrangement with that giant Asian economy. But Canada was rebuffed because of demands concerning human rights issues, the same kind of demands we also took to the table in the CETA (Europe), Trans Pacific and USMCA negotiations. China is clear that it has no intention of altering its human rights policies.
Finally, China has been manipulating its currency for decades, undervaluing it so its products would be more price competitive on global markets. Now that the Mr. Trump has diminished the value of the World Trade Organization it’s pretty much a bun fight out there. Which means any Chinese complaints over new trade barriers will be as meaningless as complaints about it’s currency manipulation have been.
Of course there would be impacts to the Canadian economy from imposing new tariffs. Exporters of raw materials and consumers of cheap Chinese goods will likely be affected in their pocket books. But in the end that may be a small price to pay to maintain our sovereignty and our dignity.
 Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
China Snatches – Huawei – US Support –
US Extradition – Canada in the Middle – China and Climate Change –
China Free Trade Agreement – Global Emissions –
 By Pepper Parr
December 17th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
For those who follow things political the game the province played last Friday will be familiar.
When it is bad news – governments wait until late on Friday and issue a media release.
The only thing missing from this sleazy act on the part of the Ford government was they didn’t wait for a long weekend. The classic hide the bad news play is issuing a press release on the Friday of a long weekend.
There is a lack of moral honesty with this government.
 Doug Ford: Do you have the feeling he is about to sell you a used car? The release of legislation that would permit development in parts of the Green Belt; the announcement of a close family friend who is patently not qualified for the job, as the next Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and then learning that someone changed the qualifications and experience to apply for the job were changed..
The Premier wants to choose just who will be part of his personal security detail – and then asking that a modified van be purchased and outfitted for the Premier who is not exactly a small man – he does have a certain girth to him – hide the cost in one of the Provincial Police Budgets..
It is beginning to look so underhanded. There are some local convenience stores where we had to tell our children to count the change they are given when they make a purchase.
This province once had leaders that were nationally recognized statesman.
 John Robarts – one of the best Premiers the province ever had. He was not just a politician but a statesman as well.  Bill Davis provided solid reliable government. Hard to recall any scandal on his watch. Think John Robarts, Bill Davis and George Drew. These were honourable men who led the province so well that we prospered.
Doug Ford seems to be channeling Michael Hepburn; yes he was a Liberal. No one political party owns the right to mislead the public – they are all complicit.
We deserve better. However we have only ourselves to blame.
Kathleen Wynne deserved to lose. She had lost the respect and confidence of the electors. The Liberals should have looked for a new leader 18 months before the election and revamped their platform. They were spending money like drunken sailors.
The province wasn’t ready for another New Democratic government and the public just didn’t have a strong enough belief that Andrea Horwath could form a government and lead the province.
We are bereft of good solid political leadership.
 Is the Premier being well served by the Cabinet he has chosen? Minister of Finance Vic F xxx Doug Ford had the opportunity to grow away from a troubled, suspect youth; he appears to be letting the worst of those personality traits rule his thinking.
We are all going to pay a high price for the decisions we made last June. We all thought this kind of thing was happening just south of us. It’s happening here.
Public pressure did force the Premier to delay the swearing in of a new Police Commissioner – the Ford government does have the capacity to react.
The public just has to keep the pressure up – heck we might even manage to make a good Premier out of the man.
 Salt with Pepper reflects the opinions, observations and musings of the publisher of the Gazette, an on-line newspaper that is in its 8th year of as a news source in Burlington and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
 By Staff
December 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Premier came to town last week – to celebrate the renovation – rebuild of the Joseph Brant Hospital and get his picture in the local paper and the TV news.
 Was the Mayor laughing with him ? Meed Ward meets the Premier at a hospital event, The Gazette did ask Mayor Meed Ward if she would be showing the Premier the view of the Escarpment from one of the north side rooms in the new Michael Lee Chin wing of the hospital.
We didn’t get a response.
 The Mayor and the people of Burlington want the province to leave the Escarpment as it is. Did the Mayor take advantage of the opportunity to button hole the Premier at an event at the hospital last week and make sure he understood what we wanted? Our hope was that she would share the view with the Premier and then politely tell him that both she and the people of Burlington wanted to Premier to keep his mitts of that land and that we are happy with just the way it is – no development north of the Hwy 407 – Dundas Road border.
 By Pepper Parr
December 16th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Simon Houpt, a Globe and Mail columnist, interviewed Alan Rusbridger, former editor of the Guardian, a British newspaper that has a very strong on-line presence. Their reporting on news world wide is superb; their coverage of the American President is frequently better than the major American dailies – including the New York Times.
The Gazette is certainly not in the same league as the Guardian but we do aspire to, on a local level, do what they do internationally.
Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks, the News of the World phone hacking scandal: Readers around the world know these as some of the greatest hits published by the Guardian during Alan Rusbridger’s 20 years as editor. But he also oversaw – in the teeth of calamitous economic disruption and hundreds of millions of pounds in losses – the paper’s galloping expansion into a news operation serving millions of readers around the globe. He was in Toronto recently for a discussion sponsored by the Canadian Journalism Foundation, reflecting on his career and his new book Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now.
What follows is a Q&A the Globe and Mail published over the weekend. It is worth a read to understand where journalism is.
 Simon Houpt Simon Houpt (SH) You stepped down in 2015. How does it feel to no longer be in the thick of things?
Alan Rusbridger (AR) It took about 18 months for the adrenalin in the system [to subside]. It’s only when you stop that you realize, it’s not normal to have a knot in the stomach, waking up at 3 in the morning, thinking, “Did I get that fact right, did I double-check that?” That business of getting out of bed every morning and working till midnight, and feeling responsible for stuff we publish around the globe, around the clock – I’m quite relieved not to be doing that. Fun though it was at the time. Twenty years is a long time.
SH Before we proceed any further, I should ask: The Guardian, of course, remains free for online readers. Do you think we should charge for this article?
 Alan Rusbridger AR Well, I don’t feel it’s for me to lecture anybody else on their business model. If the only way of making stuff pay is to hide it behind a paywall, then you have to do it. But there are downsides to that: You get a highly informed elite who are able to pay for news, and you are taking yourself off the playing field where, to a degree never before in history, information is circulating. I should preface all of this by saying we’re five minutes into a gigantic revolution and almost everything we say today will look silly in 10 years’ time.
SH Your position seems to be that we should think of journalism in the same way as many European countries – and Canada, too – regard the arts, such as TV, film and music. These activities are often subsidized because there’s an understanding that the market can’t pay the full costs, yet they’re part of the lifeblood of a culture, something that a nation needs for self-determination.
AR Yes. I completely believe that. My worry is that the classical link between journalism’s ability to make people well-informed and how that created a better society – because well-informed citizens vote for better people – is fading quite quickly. So there’s an awful lot of education and rebuilding to do to get people to realize that we can do that. The good news is, I think people are waking up to that. The bad news is, there’s such terrible levels of trust in journalists and most journalists don’t seem very interested in that.
SH You believe there’s an arrogance there.
AR Almost worse than that. “We’re journalists. Nobody loves us, we don’t care.”
SH One of your prescriptions is what you call “open journalism,” in which a community helps shape reporting through intense feedback. Given some of the developments we’ve seen over the past few years – including the growth of bad actors spreading misinformation and capitalizing on naive openness – do you believe you were too utopian in your embrace of openness?
AR I think it’s too early to say that that is a utopian dream. I know journalists generally don’t agree with this, but I think the experiments I see, in which journalists ask those willing to talk to them, can produce much better journalism.
SH That can require bravery and humility, to really open up the reporting process and acknowledge that we journalists may not know as much as we should. How much of a challenge is that cultural shift?
AR It’s a huge shift. But journalists got Brexit wrong, they got Trump wrong, they got the last [British] general election wrong – they’re sort of blundering around in a world that they can’t really understand at the moment.
SH At the same time, the economic model is collapsing. Here in Canada, the federal government just proposed a series of funding initiatives, including one to provide tax credits to organizations whose eligibility – and this was especially concerning for some critics – would be determined by an industry panel. If you had, say, $100-million a year, how would you determine the recipients?
AR I think the way I would do it is to go out [and ask], What is it that people feel they need to know about their community? Do we want somebody covering courts? Do we want somebody covering police? Do we want somebody scrutinizing planning and education? Do we want somebody sitting in council chambers?
SH Do you believe people know what they want? Clickbait might suggest otherwise.
AR Yeah, they do. It may be that it rarely occurs to anybody to ask them. Maybe there’s an enterprising court reporting service that would have 10 reporters in city courts, and you could price that, and then we could say to them: “But you have to make all that reporting available for The Globe and Mail.”
 Simon Houpt SH You write ambivalently about the BBC: both as a “lighthouse,” as a public good, but also resentfully because of its size. How do you feel it should be regarded?
AR Overwhelmingly, treasured. When I look at America, I would shudder at the thought of Fox News coming in and replacing the BBC, which is I’m sure what the Murdoch company would like.
SH Are you concerned about the BBC’s economic effect on the industry landscape?
AR There’s no meaningful public broadcasting in America, but their media are in just as much trouble. So it’s a terribly easy argument to say, they’re spoiling our business. I think the business problem is bigger than the BBC or bigger than Facebook or bigger than Google. But I do think you need to watch them. I mean, the BBC at one point was sort of moving into glossy magazine publication. So I think it’s right to jump on them if they’re exceeding their brief.
SH Some publishers in Canada attack CBC for being on the internet.
AR Yeah. I don’t agree with that.
SH You began at the Guardian in 1979 and have had a front-row seat to extraordinary change. What do you think is more of a threat: the disruption to the industry’s economic models or the increasing tribalism of our culture?
 Alan Rusbridger AR I think it’s all of a piece, really. There’s a terrible flight from complexity. So we all want simple messages, we worked out that fear sells, emotion works. A little bit of that is fine. But if that becomes the sort of operating system of your news organization, then you will create politicians who do that. If you’re rewarding them and their kind of politics, [that leads to] the kind of populist leaders that we’ve got now.
 By Staff
December 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
At a community meeting last night Councillor Lisa Kearns told the audience that 82% of the people who attended a meeting that took place earlier in the week on the sale of cannabis in retail locations were in favour of stores opening in Burlington.
That is probably bad news for the drug dealers.
More bad news as the result of a drug investigation that ended with two arrests; Search Warrants were executed at a Burlington Residence
On December 12th 2018, members of the 3 District Street Crime Unit concluded a drug investigation that resulted in the arrest of two people and the execution of a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) search warrant at a residence on Lynington Court in Burlington.
As a result of this investigation, police seized the following (See attached photo):
• 27 grams of methamphetamine
• $3275.00 cash
• 2 flick knives
• Airsoft pistol
• 4 cellular phones
• 2 digital sales
• Drug packaging
Estimated street value of seized drugs: $ 2,700.00
The following persons have been arrested and charged:
Chad Christopher STEVENSON (25 years) of Burlington (Held for bail)
• Trafficking a controlled substance (Methamphetamine)
• Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Methamphetamine)
• Possession of a prohibited weapon
• Possession of a weapon contrary to prohibition order
• Fail to comply with probation (two counts)
Jessica PINN (28 years) of Burlington (Released on a Promise to Appear in Milton Court on January 11th 2019)
• Trafficking a controlled substance (Methamphetamine)
• Possession for the purpose of trafficking (Methamphetamine)
• Possession of a prohibited weapon
Investigators remind the public to utilize Crime Stoppers to report any illegal drug, gun or gang activity at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637(crimes) “See something, Hear something, Say something”.
By Staff
December 14th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service continues to respond to several email bomb threats which have been sent to a number of recipients in Halton Region today. These bomb threats are similar to those experienced in neighbouring jurisdictions and across North America throughout the day.
 The unfounded email threats have demanded a bitcoin payment.
If you have received such a threat, we are asking that you do not respond to the bitcoin demand. Instead, please report the threat to the Halton Regional Police Service by calling our non-emergency number at 905-878-5511.
Anyone with information that would assist in the investigation of these threats is asked to contact 905-878-5511.
By Pepper Parr
December 13th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
A number of months ago the Halton Regional Police made the decision to invest in an advanced broadband communications network. It was not a cheap decision and the Region went in alone on the investment hoping at the time that other members of the public safety cohort would come aboard.
Yesterday the Peel Regional Police decided to join Halton Regional Police Service Public Safety Broadband Network
In support of ongoing innovative efforts to enhance both officer and public safety across the Regions of Halton and Peel, Peel Regional Police is joining the Halton Regional Police Service’s Public Safety Broadband Network. Halton and Peel Regions are home to some of the fastest growing communities in Canada. This growth demands an investment in new reliable data infrastructure to enhance emergency response. This is crucial in the minutes and seconds that help save lives during emergencies.
 Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah, and IT Manager Bill Payne viewing an officer’s mobile workstation. “Growing Canada’s first public safety wireless communications network, a network for first responders only, will benefit Canadians for generations to come. We are thrilled to have Peel Regional Police sign on to the Halton Public Safety Broadband Network core.
“With the advent of newly mandated Next-Gen 911 services in Canada, data is becoming more important than ever in 911 emergency response. Halton’s new Public Safety Broadband Network helps emergency services teams to more efficiently and effectively respond to crisis situations with access to key data in order to cut minutes and seconds off response times, which directly translates to more saved lives.
“Expanding this network through collaboration with neighbouring agencies across Ontario is about doing the right thing for public safety — providing stable, critical infrastructure not only in times of crisis but for day-to-day use,” said Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah. “We are proud to join forces with Peel Regional Police and Motorola Solutions in taking the initial critical steps to making the Ontario PSBN a reality. We invite all interested agencies and municipalities to join the conversation.”
The Peel Regional Police said they are ” proud to collaborate with our counterparts in Halton Region. This initiative will allow us to build the infrastructure to better enable us to meet the growing demand for seamless emergency response,” said Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief David Jarvis. “Cutting edge broadband data applications along with our reliable Public Safety Broadband Network will truly revolutionize the way we collaborate during public safety incidents resulting in safer outcomes for all.”
“The Halton Regional Police Service and Peel Regional Police Services are committed to using advanced technologies to enhance community well-being,” said George Krausz, Motorola Solutions Canada president. “By joining Halton’s dedicated public safety LTE network, Peel Regional Police will have uninterrupted access to mission-critical data applications including GPS, maps, pictures, videos and real-time analytics to help keep residents and visitors safe.”
Just what is a Public Safety Broadband Network?
It is a dedicated, secure, high-speed wireless data communications network for emergency responders and public safety personnel to communicate with each other during both emergency situations and day-to-day operations.
How is the Ontario approach to a Public Safety Broadband Network a leap forward in terms of community safety?
For years, first responders have used voice (radio) to transmit messages to police officers and other public safety partners including neighboring police agencies to coordinate assistance to the public. Officers currently relay data through commercial networks which are designed for public use. The Ontario approach to a Public Safety Broadband Network will guarantee resilient and secure access on these networks during crises or day-to-day operations.
“We know from experience that during critical incidents, “time is of the essence”. Seamless, secure and reliable communications can have a direct impact on community safety by helping shave minutes and seconds off of emergency response times. Mission-critical voice communications must be supplemented with the ability to seamlessly and securely share data vital for heightened situational awareness, preserving the radio system for crucial voice communications.
“The state-of-the-art Halton Public Safety Broadband Network core provides a platform across which voice, data and information can be efficiently and seamlessly accessed and shared by Police, Fire and Paramedic Services during all stages of any major event, in any geographic location across Ontario. It will be used by first responders to quickly access data on their computers or mobile devices such as dispatch information, records information, GPS data, maps, photos, videos and real-time analytics for day-to-day operations and during emergencies.
Ultimately, this Ontario-based Public Safety Broadband Network model will provide first responders with the appropriate resources, interoperability, robust and reliable capacity, and with the ability to dynamically scale to changes in any critical situation.
Technical Background
Motorola has been providing communications solutions to police forces throughout North America for decades. The service includes two-way radios, broadband technology, video surveillance and analytics solutions, services and software to keep them connected, from extreme to everyday moments.
 Shown left to right: Halton Regional Police Service Deputy Chief Roger Wilkie, Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief David Jarvis, Halton Regional Police Service Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah with some of the equipment that will be used by public safety people. Related news story:
Halton commits to broadband – hoping others will join to manage the cost.
By Staff
December 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier this year, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-46, the most comprehensive reform to the Criminal Code transportation regime in more than 40 years. The new law is a modern, simplified, and more coherent system of reforms to better deter and detect drug and alcohol-impaired driving.
 The elements of Bill C-46 related to drug-impaired driving came into force on June 21, 2018. The legislation authorizes police to use additional tools, such as roadside oral fluid drug screeners, enacts new driving offences of being over a prohibited blood drug concentration, and allows for blood samples to be collected without first requiring a driver to undergo a drug recognition evaluation.
The part of the legislation related to alcohol-impaired driving will come into force on December 18, 2018.
These amendments include, but are not limited to, the introduction of mandatory alcohol screening and the introduction of some new and higher mandatory minimum fines and some higher maximum penalties for impaired driving.
Mandatory Alcohol Screening
There have been many questions regarding mandatory alcohol screening. Currently, police officers must have reasonable suspicion that a driver has alcohol in their body before conducting a roadside test. As of December 18, 2018, police officers with an Approved Screening Device (ASD) on hand can require any lawfully-stopped driver to provide a breath sample, even without reasonable suspicion that the driver has alcohol in their body. This would be completed after the person has been lawfully stopped pursuant to authority (common law or provincial Highway Traffic Act).
 The rules on driving impaired are about to change – tougher as well. Research suggests that up to 50 per cent of drivers with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit are not detected at roadside check stops. Mandatory alcohol screening provides a mechanism for better detection of those who choose to drink and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Note: A driver who refuses to provide a sample would be subject to a criminal offence (and a mandatory minimum $2,000 fine).
Penalties for Impaired Driving as of December 18, 2018
The proposed legislation would enact some new and higher mandatory minimum fines, and some higher maximum penalties.
 Refer to the attached chart for a summary of the new penalties (source).
Shared Responsibility: Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death and injury in Canada.
Community safety is a shared responsibility, and we encourage residents and visitors to continue to work with us to reduce impaired driving. Impaired driving is considered a crime in progress. If you witness suspected impaired driving, please call 9-1-1 to report it.
By Pepper Parr
December 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
With an awkward quickie Special Meeting of Council where the city manager was dispatched and a Labour Agreement approved behind them, the new city council got down to the business of the city when the Standing Committee – Committee of the Whole (COW) met for the first time.
The meeting started with determining who was going to head up which committee and who the vice chairs were going to be. This is a sort of “pin the tail on the donkey” game for adults. One council member nominates another and the nominee graciously accepts.
Theoretically, a rogue Councillor could nominate themselves and begin the process of taking over the committee structure but that wasn’t going to happen with this Council.
Lisa Kearns was made Chair of the Committee of the Whole Workshops and the Committee of the Whole Budget.
Big job for a newbie and she handled it quite well first time around. There was one precious line when Kearns turned to Lisa Palermo, the Committee Clerk who was guiding Kearns through the process and asked: “Do I stop talking now?”
 The number of units, 233, in the site gives a whole new meaning to intensification. It was a mild agenda for the most part – until they got to the National Homes development for 2100 Brant.
Ed Door gave a delegation that set out the long disappointing process the Havendale community went through to get the development reduced from a 233 town homes to something in the 150 homes range. The best the developer was able to do was reduce the number of units to 212 town homes which Door pointed out would have a six foot deep backyard, not enough space for Councillor Sharman to stretch out in.
This development landed on the desks of the Planning department at an awkward time.
The then Director of Planning, Mary Lou Tanner had been promoted to Deputy City Manager and an interim Director, Bill Janssen, was brought in from Hamilton to provide some leadership.
 Heather MacDonald, Burlington Director of Planning A new Director of Planning was hired. Heather MacDonald had to be brought up to speed. Meanwhile the 180 days the city planners had to come forward with a staff recommendation were melting away.
During this time period, National Homes, according to the time line Door read out, did everything they could to delay and obfuscate the normal procedures.
Then – the 180 day time frame the Planners had to give city council a report was up and National Homes filed an appeal to the Land Appeal Planning Tribunal, the organization that took over form the Ontario Municipal Board.
The standard procedure is for the LAPT to hold a Pre-conference hearing. They scheduled one for December 18th. Lawyers for National Homes sent the people involved a letter saying they wanted the Pre-hearing meeting to be turned into a settlement meeting to accept the changes that apparently were agreed upon with the planning department.
Doors delegation is a litany of disgraceful manipulations of the development application process in which he maintained the city was complicit.
Ed Doors explained that “The Havendale Advisory Committee was initially established by the former Councillor for Ward 1 (Rick Craven) in response to concerns expressed by residents regarding the application for development of the property at 2100 Brant Street by National Homes.
 The site that is to be developed. “The first official meeting of the group in September 2017 was chaired by the ward Councillor and included over 20 residents; a week later, the second meeting included representatives from National Homes and the City of Burlington Planning Department.
“It became apparent at the meeting, that the residents’ overarching concerns, including non- compliance with the Provincial Policy Statement, the Burlington Official Plan and existing zoning standards, were not on the table for discussion, and the focus was to be only on specific details of the application.
“We were repeatedly assured by the former Ward 1 Councillor over the next several months that there was plenty of time for further discussion, and that the 180-day deadline would not be an issue.
“The City organized a Public Open House for October 12, 2017 to discuss the development proposal. Our Committee circulated 500 flyers in the local community, in both Wards 1 and 3. The meeting was packed; residents were upset.
“The Havendale Committee developed an Initial Position Paper that was presented to the City on October 27, 2017. In our letter of transmittal, we stated:
“The Havendale Advisory Committee… recognizes the critical responsibility and privilege of representing the concerns of the area residents, which includes residents of both Ward 1 and Ward 3. Our initial response to the National Homes Proposal includes research, analysis, and recommendations, and has been approached through significant consultation and discussion.
“In this Initial Position Paper, the Advisory Committee has prepared an outline of what might constitute an Alternative Proposal, to draw attention to the enormous opportunity for innovation on one of the last available tracts of vacant land in Burlington. Full consideration should be given to the incorporation of green building and sustainable community innovations that would further the goals of the Burlington community as a truly livable city of the future.
 The blue area denotes the Havendale community with 236 homes. The orange area is the proposed National Homes development where 233 homes would be built. “We suggest that both the site and the size of the land in question challenges all involved to seek a solution through a spirit of collaboration. We are committed to a dialogue that will lead to a solution that meets Burlington’s housing needs and creates a unique and sustainable community.”
“We received no official response to this submission.
“On January 26, 2018 members of our Committee met with the former Ward 1 Councillor and the new Planner on File to review the key issues and concerns raised in the Position Paper, and to discuss our concern about the possibility of the 180-day deadline not being met. Both Councillor Craven and Lola Emberson assured us that this would not lead to an appeal by National Homes.
“Around the same time, our Committee commissioned a brief video about the Tyandaga neighbourhood and the impact of the proposed development on the community for future use at the Statutory Public Meeting. The video was funded through member donations.
“Members of our Committee met over the next several months with other Council members and the Mayor, with National Homes, with the initial and the subsequent Planners on file, and with other advocacy groups in the community, including the Age- Friendly Housing Association.
“Immediately prior to the Statutory Public Meeting, National Homes filed an appeal with LPAT because of the non-decision by Council within 180 days.
“When the Statutory Public Meeting was finally held on April 3, 2018 at the Committee of the Whole, our Committee members delegated effectively, and in fact were complimented by Council members for the quality of our input. At this meeting, our Committee tabled a proposal to establish a Task Force consisting of National Homes, City Planning, and a few residents to review the National Homes proposal and work towards a compromise that would satisfy all parties. All parties responded affirmatively to this suggestion.
 In the initial proposal there were no provisions for a park. National Homes revised the proposal and added a park less than an acre in size. “Committee members lobbied over the next two months for the establishment of this Task Force, however it failed to materialize, due to lack of support from the former Ward 1 Councillor, the Planning Department, and National Homes.
“Our Committee was asked by the former Councillor to attend a meeting with National Homes and the Planning Department on May 29th, 2018 for a presentation on adjustments that were being proposed by National Homes. We were asked for feedback on these modifications within 2-3 weeks.
“We began our discussions and review as documents were being provided to us, and as we were drafting our response, we were notified by the City on June 25, 2018 that National Homes had in fact made a Re- submission with Updated Planning Justification on June 19, 2018.
“On June 28, 2018, we sent a letter to all Council, the City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Director of City Building, and the Planner on File, expressing our concerns with the process and the lack of meaningful consultation. No official response.
“An Open House was organized by the City on July 17, 2018, to give National Homes the opportunity to present their revised proposal to the community. Our Committee was given 10 days after the Open House to submit a written response to the City. We prepared a detailed Addendum to our Initial Position Paper, and submitted it to the City by the deadline.
“There has been no acknowledgement of, or response to, this submission, despite the inclusion of detailed questions requiring response by the City.
“In the Open House Notice, the City clearly set up the expectation for the process moving forward saying:
“No decisions about this proposal have been made yet. We are asking for your feedback on the revision before we make a recommendation to the Planning and Development Committee of Council to either approve or refuse the application.”
“Former Councillor Craven stated in his July 2018 Ward 1 newsletter: “The proposal is still subject to a review by City staff and a recommendation expected in the early fall.”
“In turning down our Committee’s request to make a brief delegation to the Committee of the Whole meeting on September 10, 2018, the Committee Clerk stated: “The confidential report on today’s Committee of the Whole agenda is to provide committee members with an update on National Homes appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) regarding 2100 Brant Street.
“The subject of the report deals with the legal matter and not with the development itself. Therefore, no delegates are permitted to speak because the report is subject to solicitor/client privilege. … When the development matter comes back to committee that would be the time for residents to delegate.
“No report on comments from the public or the technical comments from the various departments and agencies was made available. No recommendation report was created for public comment, no comments on the re-submission from the public were posted, and this re-submission by National Homes never made it to a Planning and Development Committee meeting, during which delegations could have been heard.
“In fact, the entire participation and consultation process has been curtailed for our Committee.
“As you know, the former Council made last-minute decisions in camera, and in favour of the development application. National Homes has requested that the LPAT Pre-Hearing Conference scheduled for December 18, 2018 be converted to a Settlement Hearing.
“This raises serious concerns for us.
“It is the position of the Havendale Advisory Committee that by rushing to agree to a confidential settlement prior to the swearing-in of the newly elected Council, the outgoing Burlington Council and National Homes have in effect conspired to subvert the planning approval process, and exclude consideration of the legitimate concerns of residents and of the newly elected representatives.
 Steve Armstrong giving a detailed analysis of the development from a citizen’s perspective. “Our Committee believes that it would be appropriate for any Reports or briefings with respect to this settlement that were made to the outgoing Council by, or on behalf of, the Planning Department immediately be made publicly available in order allow proper and transparent consideration of all the facts.
“Proceeding with the settlement at this stage would set a precedent in Burlington. It would send a signal that contentious development applications need not be dealt with through the proper planning process in a municipality. Rather, if the municipality simply ensures that a decision on the application is not made within 180 days, the planning decision can be left to LPAT.
“We are of the opinion that the settlement outlined by National Homes legal counsel is not compliant with Burlington’s Official Plan, Burlington’s zoning regulations, nor the Provincial Policy Statement, and as such should not be endorsed by this Council.
“While we do not believe the current settlement is appropriate, we do believe that a negotiated settlement that addresses the concerns of all parties, including the public, is achievable. We would like to be part of that process.”
There is a lot or murkiness here. Council has been in a number of Closed Meetings with the City Solicitor. The public knows next to nothing about what this “deal” was with National Homes.
The Gazette has learned that Mayor Meed Ward met with member of the Havendale community last week and did some idea sharing.
When the Standing Committee meeting went into Closed Session on Monday to discuss the 2100 Brant development – all the Planners were asked to leave the room.
What many people cannot understand is: How did a situation like this come about?
 By Staff
December 29th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Starting on Monday, January 7, 2019, Burlington residents will have library hours that fit their life.
Responding to community input during the Library’s 2016-2020 planning cycle, Burlington Public Library Board put better library open hours as a top priority.
 “During our conversations, we heard how much everyone loves their library but would like different hours,” says Brian Kenny, Chair, Burlington Public Library Board. “So, we made a commitment to find out what hours our customers want and make it happen.”
Earlier in 2018, library staff reviewed customer use patterns and borrowing trends, and examined the library service hours of neighbouring and comparable libraries and cities. The community was consulted by way of a public survey that resulted in input from 2,661 Burlington residents about their preferred library hours of operation.
Kenny notes that residents clearly want more locations to be open Sundays and evenings. “We are so pleased to be able to start off the new year with library service hours that reflect our community’s preferences,” says Kenny. “And it’s a gratifying legacy of our volunteer Board as we wrap up our four-year term representing the voice of local citizens.”
NEW 2019 open hours (excluding holiday closures)
January 7 to July 6 & September 2 to December 31
 * July 7 to September 1: All branches are CLOSED Sundays.
 Lita Barrie, Chief Executive Officer, Burlington Public Library Lita Barrie, Chief Executive Officer, Burlington Public Library, said she is absolutely “thrilled to offer library service hours that better fit the lives of our community members so that the library is open when they need us the most. Of course, we are always open 24/7 for access to our digital collections and resources at www.bpl.on.ca.”
By Pepper Parr
December 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The chatter amongst those who are worth a second look by Burlington’s city council as they search for a new city manager is revealing.
Several, who would not agree to talk if we named them, wonder if the civic administration can be revived. Total bedlam was the word one possible candidate who assured his colleagues that he would not be applying.
 James Ridge with former Hamilton city manager Chris Murray. Both men moved on; one of his own accord, the other was asked to leave. Both Hamilton and Burlington are looking for new city managers. Few, if any, possible candidates will apply for both.
What does Burlington need and does what the city needs exist was the question we put to the seven people we talked to.
It doesn’t need someone who has an agenda and knows exactly what the city needs said one.
It does need someone who has already made their mark as a city manager and is ready to take on a task that requires s basically a complete re-build.
Ideally you want someone who can spot talent within the organization and grow it said another who added that it has to be “Someone who can listen and then nurture the talent or know where to look for the talent that will be needed to replace some of the key people that need to move on.”
The answer a candidate should be able to give to the question: What do you want to achieve while you are with us is: Find my replacement.
 These seven people will decide who the next city manager should be. If they get it right a lot of the current city hall screw ups can be brought to an end. Burlington has a new council and they are going to need help in refining the political aspirations each of them brought to the public office they now hold.
They need administrative leadership that can begin the healing of the wounds mid-level staff are working through. Parts of the organization is almost like a zoo totally out of control.
A command and control style will not work.
The new city manager has to have the confidence of the elected members – and if that confidence doesn’t exist – they should walk.
There are some organizational changes that should at least be considered. Move the Economic Development Corporation into the Planning department. Economic development is currently in the hands of a group of Hamilton lawyers.
 Traditionally Strategic Plans have been for a period of four years.  The Strategic Plan grew to a 25 year plan. There wasn’t much in the way of a vigorous public debate on whether or not this was a good idea. Does the Strategic Plan that was foisted on the city by the consulting firm the city hired and the aspirations former city manager James Ridge had still make sense? Traditionally a Strategic Plan is the agenda for a specific council and were four year documents. Ridge grew that four years to 25 and then attached the Grow Bold concept to it.
Does this council now send the document to the recycle file ? This council is going to be far too busy to get wrapped up in the long process of re-writing a Strategic Plan. There are much bigger fish to fry.
The new city manager should have more than just some depth of understanding of how Queen’s Park works – he (or she) needs to be able to counsel and advise the Mayor on how to get the province to work for the city and not be at the mercy of a Premier that tends to act abruptly and really doesn’t know what a conflict of interest is and where he can legitimately exert his authority. The man just cannot be trusted.
 Opening a Pandora’s Box is a process that generates many complicated problems as the result of unwise interference in something. These are perilous times for the municipal world. It is clear to many who watch the sector that there is going to be more in the way of consolidation. Former Mayor Rick Goldring certainly opened a Pandora ’s Box when he suggested Burlington should annex parts of Waterdown.
In one of his statements former city manager James Ridge spoke of Burlington’s “enviable” reputation as a great city. One can only gulp when reading that statement and looking at the serious problems surrounding the 2100 Brant development that is fraught with serious issues that smack of a total disregard for the public engagement process.
The Mayor has yet to say who will serve as the interim city manager. One would have thought that the Deputy City Manager would almost automatically assume that role. Any suggestions as to why that hasn’t happened?
Mayor Meed Ward was wise to ask her council to think about they think the city should be looking for and what they, individually, want to see put in place to carry out the mandate they have.
Salt with Pepper are the opinions, reflections, observations and musings of the Gazette publisher.
By Pepper Parr
December 12th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
We spent millions building the Performing Arts Centre. It came in “on time” and “on budget”.
Official ground breaking took place in March of 2009; The Burlington Performing Arts Centre opened its doors in the autumn of 2011.
It has been through a number of Executive Directors and gets about three quarters of a million in funding from the city. That works out to a subsidy of about $6.80 for each of the 110,000 us attended an event at The Centre. Nothing wrong with that number.
The Centre has done some research and report that 110,000+ people visited The Burlington Performing Arts Centre over the past year.
The organization is looking at how they impact the arts community in Burlington.
 The Performing Arts report card – they wrote it themselves. Here is what they report:
BPAC’s VISION: to take a leadership role in community cultural development
BPAC offered 5 free cultural sensitivity training workshops to members of the community at large, on topics ranging from Indigenous Relations to Muslim Heritage and Black History. 61 free educational and performing arts workshops were offered to local citizens and youth. 28 educational performances were presented to a total of 13,360 local students and teachers. BPAC becomes the first performing arts centre in Canada to designate a Legacy Space, in our ongoing commitment to Truth & Reconciliation.
BPAC’s MISSION: to be Burlington’s social and cultural ‘hub’
14 free performances were presented to the community. 178 citizens volunteered their time at BPAC. BPAC’s first-ever Cultural Diversity Festival results in a 2018 Culture Days award for ‘Best Hub’.
 The Centre has a strong core group that lines up for ticket purchases when a new season is announced. BPAC’s GOAL: to nurture and support local cultural partners
57 local artists and arts organizations were presented by BPAC in our curated programming offerings, and $27,275 in performance fees were paid to these artists and organizations. BPAC donated almost $50K in rental space and technical services to 22 local artists and community organizations. 142 complimentary tickets, with a combined value of $6,182 were donated to local community organizations to further their own fundraising efforts. BPAC’s first annual Festival of Trees raised over $3K, which was used to support three presentations by local artists and arts organizations.
From an economic impact perspective, we know that The Burlington Performing Arts Centre contributes to the economic vitality of Downtown Burlington and the City. 75% of BPAC patrons spent money supporting local restaurants in combination with a visit to BPAC, and an average of $2.1 million in the Burlington community before or after a performance.
Calculating the spin off benefits, people having dinner before an event or dropping into a local spot for a drink after the play is far from a science; the numbers seem to get a little fatter each time they are handed out. However, there is no denying that there is a significant spin off.
The problem area, and it is being worked on, is getting the smaller theatre groups in the city to use the space. Those smaller groups find they cannot afford the rental fee structure the Centre has which is the result of high Centre overhead.
There is always going to be a place for the church basement groups and those small but dedicated drama groups that create a place for local talent to perform and grow.
 Ilene Elkaim, on the right, talking to a patron during the announcement of a new season. There are some concerns over the governance model that is being used. There is a need for some fresh blood; currently the Chairmanship of the Board, which is an arms length corporation that runs the program out of a building the city owns, gets passed back and forth between the Chair and the Vice Chair – not healthy.
The Gazette is aware of people who are eminently qualified to serve on the board who were not taken up,
 Performing Arts Centre Executive Director, Tammy Fox The current Executive Director, Tammy Fox is working diligently to include the Sound of Music Festival in more of what takes place at The Centre. The SoM will eventually submit to the charms of the Executive Director who has experience on both sides of the entertainment business. She ran an arts agency that booked well known groups into various venues across the country and has run venues – she understands the issues that each side has.
Related news story:
Tammy Fox – Executive Director at the Performing Arts Centre.
By Pepper Parr
December 10th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It was a meeting that few people knew about.
The Mayor, as is her right, called a Special Meeting of Council the day after she was sworn into office.
There were two items on the agenda – a review and acceptance of an agreement with CUPE, local 2723 and a verbal discussion regarding a confidential employee relations matter.
The announcement of the meeting was posted to the city web site in the calendar section.
Mayor Meed Ward didn’t mention that she had called a Special Meeting of Council during the inauguration.
Few would argue that the city manager was toast the day Meed Ward won the election.
The Gazette learned that the city manager was “asked” to take some vacation and was not at his desk for many of the days between the election and the inauguration.
During that time there would have to have been discussions on what kind of a financial settlement there was going to be; it would not be cheap – some estimate that the total cost to the city will amount to more than half a million dollars.
There wasn’t a vote on the firing of the city manager; council met for a “verbal discussion”.
This all must have been a bit sticky for the Director of Human Resources and the City Solicitor who both had very strong working relationships with the city manager – who now had to handle the paper work that had him out the door.
But he is gone – it will be interesting to see where James Ridge lands next. The Gazette certainly wants to know what his future address is going to be. Skip tracers might be required.
The motion that was before the new city council during their first meeting was:
Move into closed session in accordance with the following provisions under the Municipal Act, sections 239 (2)(d) labour relations or employee negotiations, with respect to Human Resources report HR-04-18 regarding Agreement with CUPE Local 2723, and section 239(2)(b) personal matters about an identifiable individual including Municipal or local board employees for a verbal discussion regarding a confidential employee relations matter.
The meeting started at 3:03 pm and adjourned at 4:55 pm The motion to make all this legal was carried 7-0.
The refreshing part of this is the actual vote was given. Previously the minutes just said carried.
Now that the deed is done – what next?
Members of council have been asked to take some time during the holidays to think about what they want in the way of a city manager.
 Paul Sharman, the only member of Council with any large corporation experience. The problem with that is except for Councillor Sharman, none of the council members have anything in the way of large corporation experience. It is reasonable to assume that none of them, with the possible exception of Rory Nisan, have any training in hiring top level executive talent. The tendency with people who don’t have training is to go with their gut. They will find themselves saying to themselves: “I liked the guy” (it could be a woman). There might be something in his or her experience that appeals to a member of Council. They will have outside help from a head hunter who will be hired to advertise the job and do an early assessment and present this to Council.
The municipal sector is very specialized – city’s tend to want to hire someone with experience, ideally in Ontario. There are 440 municipalities in Ontario with maybe 50 of them that are in the same population – economic development range that Burlington is in. There is only so much talent out there and Hamilton is in the process of looking for a new city manager.
Most of the prime prospects are already aware of the job opening. Whichever head hunter the city hires will have a data base and the day they get the assignment they will be on the phone testing who is out there and who wants to make a career move at this time.
This council cannot fail on this task. Burlington has gone through too many city managers in the past eight years.
Tim Dobbie worked exceptionally well with Mayor Rob MacIsaac, he didn’t want to work with Cam Jackson. The city hired Roman Martiuk who didn’t quite fit in with what Mayor Goldring and his council wanted and he was let go.
 Jeff Fielding, former Burlington city manager. The city then hired Jeff Fielding who proved to be far too energetic, far too strong a manager for this city. Fielding was the city manager in London, Ontario where the Mayor there was facing serious legal issues having to do with the way he handled funds while he was a Member of Parliament. A city manager doesn’t want to be running the show when the Mayor might be going out the door in handcuffs.
Burlington was a nice comfortable place for Fielding to land and during the two and a half years he was in Burlington he certainly shook things up.
Then he got an offer that was just too good to refuse: Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary and one of the most exciting Mayors the country had ever seen wanted Jeff. He was gone in a flash – not just because Calgary was the dream job for a city manager but also because Burlington wasn’t all that flexible. Fielding was a “big picture” kind of guy and the council he had to work with was as “provincial” as they get.
 Stand By says the city motto – for how long one might ask? Does this new city council have a more progressive outlook? They are skewing that way but far too early to tell what they have in them in terms of reach and the ability to go in a different direction.
With three strong minded women on this council a female from anywhere in the country is going to get a very close look.
The city motto is Stand By – and that is just about all we can do at this point in time.
Salt with Pepper is an opinion column reflecting the observations and musings of the publisher of the Gazette, an on-line newspaper that is in its 8th year as a news source in Burlington and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
By Ray Rivers
December 11th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s not a Shakespearean plot. Though old William would have found it worthy. The story of an ambitious young man climbing up the political ladder to the top of his organization, only to be stabbed in the back by his compatriots. Oh wait a minute, that sounds familiar!
 Patrick Brown was not going to slink away – he wrote a book about what happened – and then went off to get elected as Mayor of Brampton. Patrick Brown paid a heavy price for advancing his political philosophy with the Ontario PCs, while those about him were into the darker side of social and environmental politics. He labels himself a progressive or red Tory. His heroes and mentors are Bill Davis, Jean Charest and Brian Mulroney, probably in that order. He had been born into a political family and politics was his life’s aspiration.
He seized the opportunity to get elected into Stephen Harper’s first minority government but was uncomfortable voting the party line on issues like opposing same-sex marriage and reopening the abortion debate, though he did anyway. But his reticence was obviously noticed and so he never made it to the front line of the Harper team, but was relegated to the back benches.
I know this because it is in his book titled ‘Takedown’. Tired of taking abuse from his own party which was moving even further to the right, Brown sought the leadership of the Ontario PCs.
Christine Elliot was the heir apparent, the favourite establishment candidate. But even after the three other establishment candidates had dropped out, she couldn’t muster enough voting members to defeat Brown’s well organized campaign.
 Brown included the south east Asian community in a way they had not been included in the past by the provincial Tories. It paid off for him As an MP Brown had used his position to cultivate friendships with the Tamil, Indian, and Muslim ethnic communities. His reward was their support when he ran for leader of the provincial party, and afterwards when, as leader, he grew the provincial party’s membership from 10,000 to well over 100,000. As leader Brown also eliminated the party’s seven million dollar debt and stashed another four million aside for the 2018 election war chest.
But it was inevitable. He was the newbie with no history or buddies in the provincial party and he had stolen the leadership from the chosen one. And what may have seemed like a gentle breeze of resistance from the party stalwarts on his way up the pecking order would eventually turn into a powerful headwind pushing him rapidly back down.
He really should have read Julius Caesar. What probably sealed his fate was the party’s policy conference where all of Brown’s platform ideas got molded into his People’s Guarantee. It was a very comprehensive platform and he earned the wrath of the religious right by confirming that the sex-ed program brought in by the Liberals would stay in place.
 Brown cultivates the LGBT community Then he added insult to injury by promising to replace the provincial cap and trade program with a revenue neutral carbon tax which would be used to finance income tax cuts. That this also met the criteria for Mr.Trudeau’s mandated carbon pricing infuriated the party elders who also like to keep at least one eye on federal politics.
By early January this year it was becoming apparent that the Wynne Liberals were heading for a major defeat and that a PC majority was almost a given. That would mean that this red Tory, Brown, would be in power for at least the next four years and possibly eight. And since Brown had consented to continue much of Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal program there had be consternation among the old guard about where this grand old party was heading.
Except for his promises of ending the Green Energy Act and making tax cuts Brown might have been just another Liberal dressed in blue clothing. This was not the path that conservative oriented parties everywhere were going. So a revolt was no doubt in the works. And it had to happen before he ran and won the upcoming provincial election in June of this year. We’ll discuss how it all seemed to go wrong for Brown in the next part of this series.
To be continued…….
Ray Rivers writes regularly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Brown – Brown’s Book –
By Staff
December 11th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Premier Doug Ford met with a number of municipal Mayors on Monday. Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was not one of them.
Ford will be in Burlington on Tuesday to “celebrate the refurbishment of the Joseph Brant Hospital. It’s a photo op.
 Legislation tabled before the provincial government slipped away for the holidays threatens this Escarpment farm land. No word yet if Mayor Meed Ward is going to be able to get to the event. If she does – expect her to button hole the Premier and take him to one of the rooms with a north side view and point to the Escarpment and then tell him to leave it alone.
The Premier is pounding away at better jobs and improving the infrastructure and coming up with affordable housing – all buzz words that appeal to his political base.
The fear is that the provincial government will want to ease up the rules on what can be built in the Green Belt – which is our back yard.
There has been more than one clear sign that this is a direction this Premier wants to go in.
 Premier Doug Ford with his Minister of Municipal Affairs, Steve Clark to his right talking to an unidentified municipal Mayor. The Premier had a collection of Mayors trot into Toronto and meet with him for a one on one conversation which Ford said was to “discuss their shared priorities, such as improving transportation infrastructure, increasing the supply of housing to bring down costs and making sure that municipalities are open for business.
“Ontario has some fantastic mayors, and we have some great working relationships. Today, we strengthened those relationships,” said Ford. “We’re going to work together to get things done. We’re going to build transit and infrastructure. We’re going to make sure everyone can afford a place to call home. And we’re going to show the world that Ontario is open for business.”
In a series of meetings throughout the day, Premier Ford met with Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie; Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham; London Mayor Ed Holder; Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie; Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes; Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson; and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
“When it comes to Ontarians’ day-to-day lives, municipalities make the most direct impact,” said Ford. “Today, I had some great conversations with Ontario mayors about how to tackle the issues that people face every day. We’re committed to working for the people and respecting the taxpayer.”
By Pepper Parr
December 10th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The City of Burlington received notice from the Region of Halton on December 4th regarding the city’s Official Plan.
Noting that the notice did not arrive until the 4th, that means the surprise Mayor Meed Ward told the inauguration audience she had for them was not about the Official Plan – it was about the firing of the City Manager which took place the following day.
The notice from the Region advised that the city’s adopted Official Plan did not conform with the Regional Official Plan in a number of respects related to policies and mapping, and among others, in the areas of:
 Regional Chair Gary Carr tasting honey while on an agricultural tour. There is some serious farming being done in the rural lands – not as much as the Planning department thinks. • proposed employment land conversions and permitted uses within the employment areas and lands;
• the identification of and permitted uses within agricultural lands;
• the identification of and permitted uses within the Natural Heritage System; and
• transportation matters, including road classifications.
A media release from city hall said:
Ongoing work will continue between the city and Region which will result in a draft notice of decision containing modifications to the city’s Official Plan. These modifications will be shared with the city and brought forward to City Council for consideration.
The process for final approval of the city’s Official Plan will include:
• The ability for the city to make additional modifications before the Official Plan is approved by Halton Region where there is appropriate planning justification and public consultation
• Once city staff is of the opinion that the issues of non-conformity have been addressed, the proposed changes would be brought back to Council for a vote before final approval by the Region
• An indefinite “pause” of the 210 days the Region has to approve the Official Plan
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward will work with her Burlington Council colleagues to ensure the city and Region are able take the appropriate time necessary to continue work on any potential modifications of the Official Plan.
This will also allow time for any additional matters the new Council would like to address before final approval.
Burlington city staff will bring forward a memo through the Council Information Package on Dec. 14 about next steps on this matter.
This process is going to be complex and there are just two members of the new seven member city council who have a solid grasp of what this is all about.
 A great moment – and the beginning of a four year term of office. The really steep learning curve for the new council begins this afternoon when they meet as a Standing Committee and get down to business – unless one counts the quicky Special Meeting of city council that took place last Tuesday.
By Staff
December 7th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Earlier in the week, the Gazette learned the provincial government introduced what they call an economic development tool, an open for business planning bylaw (regulation) which would exempt major economic development projects, major employment uses from planning and environmental laws.
MMAH/Planning Act changes in Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act allows municipalities, with ministerial approval, to pass “Open For Business” bylaws that allow municipalities to bypass various planning statutes, including the Greenbelt Act, which Ford had promised to leave intact.
Those who follow this kind of stuff believe it is the beginning of opening up the Escarpment to development.
There are certainly farms in the Escarpment but a lot of the land is held by developers and rented to people who farm the property. The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance in a media release they said: “The “Open for Business” zoning bylaw would be enacted by a municipality. Provisions in the legislation exempt municipalities to conform to aspects of the Planning Act, Great Lakes Protection Act, Clean Water Act, Greenbelt Act, Oak Ridges Moraine Act, Lake Simcoe Protection Act, the Places to Grow Act among others. Perhaps most disturbing is the provision that allows a project to proceed without a public meeting. Once the municipality has the Minister’s approval they can move ahead.
 Without the Escarpment Burlington would be just another suburb “Breaking the promise not to open up the Greenbelt shows a disrespect to voters. It also puts the health of farmers and rural landowners at risk. Just this week the Neptis Foundation released a report calling for a regional vision for the GGH. The health of our region depends on valuing our farms, forests, clean water sources and nature.
The Gazette asked Mayor Meed Ward for some comment. The city issued the following this afternoon.
“The Provincial Government tabled legislation referred to as, Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, which, if passed would allow municipalities to, with the Minister’s consent, pass “Open for Business’” zoning by-laws.
“These bylaws would not be bound by existing legislation, such as the Clean Water Act, 2006 or the Greenbelt Act, 2005.
What kind of farming is being done and who owns the land are major questions to be asked. “This change suggests that the Province is opening the Greenbelt for development, among other changes.
Mayor Meed Ward added: “We stand firm in our commitment to protecting our greenbelt from development and protecting our farm families and rural agricultural economy. We will also ensure our residents benefit from the protections in all the other pieces of legislation referred to in Bill 66.
“We will not be comprising their safety or quality of life for speed. I do not see Burlington using this legislation, if it is passed. At the same time, we’ll do everything we can to ensure Burlington is open for business.”
Mary Lou Tanner, Deputy City Manager said: “Burlington has a long history of a firm urban boundary, supporting both the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the Greenbelt Plan. We strongly support protecting our rural area from development. Farming is part of our community identity and a key driver in the economy. At the same time, our administration is committed to reducing red tape.”
It is a real stretch to say that “farming is … a key driver in the economy” but the sentiment is there.
 Will Burlington see one of these on the north side of Hwy 407 leading into the Escarpment? The Ford government has been consistent in its desire to open up everything they can see to some kind of business development.
With just over six months in office it looks like there is going to be a consistent battle to keep the Escarpment we have.
We will ask our MPP Jane McKenna for comment.
TV Ontario published an excellent piece on just what we could be up against. Well worth reading. CLICK here
.
 By Staff
December 7th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
The following revised Santa 5k race route and road closures.
 Santa 5k Road Closures, 6 to 11 a.m.
Brant Street, from Ontario Street to Elgin Street
James Street, from John Street to Brant Street
Road Closures, 8:30 to 11 a.m.
Lakeshore Road, from Elizabeth Street to Maple Avenue
Burlington Avenue, from Lakeshore Road to Elgin Street
Elgin Street, from Nelson Avenue to Burlington Avenue
Nelson Avenue, from Elgin Street to Lakeshore Road
Brant Street, from Ontario Street to Lakeshore Road
Route Supervision
• Halton Regional Police Service will direct traffic at major intersections and event marshals will help runners and motorists at multi-residential driveways and on side streets
• Event notices were delivered to all residences, religious centres and businesses affected by the event
Questions
If you have any questions about the road closures or traffic control, please contact the City of Burlington event liaison at 905-335-7600, ext. 7201.
By Pepper Parr
December 7th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been a tumultuous week for the city – and for the staff at city hall.
 If there is a morale meter at city hall it isn’t giving a very high rating these days. The City manager left the building on Tuesday, no word yet on who the interim city manager is going to be.
There is a Deputy city manager in place so things won’t spin out of control.
There are people in the city delighted with the dismissal of the city manager; they have hopes that there will be a few more dismissals in the not too distant future.
While all this takes place there’s serious damage being done to the mid-level people who do all the grunt work.
Burlington has a number of superb staffers, I could name more than 100 people, that I have worked with, talked to that are sincere, professional and very good at their jobs. They are career civil servants who work hard to manage hard issues.
One has to wonder how many are polishing their resumes and looking around for a better place to work. There are a lot of benefits to working in the municipal sector; the money is good, the benefits terrific and the pension grand.
And those things matter but that isn’t why the really good people get up every morning, go out the door and take on the tasks they have to deal with.
Burlington has some real issues that are complex and won’t yield to a simple answer.
The really good men and woman are well aware of the problems and they are more than capable of finding solutions. With a few exceptions they have not been well led. They do deserve better.
They will sign out at city hall this afternoon, head home to their families and wonder just where things at city hall are going to be six months from now.
There is the possibility that some of the really good ones will be gone; some into the private sector others with a different municipality. It will be our loss.
Salt with Pepper is an opinion column reflecting the observations and musings of the publisher of the Gazette, an on-line newspaper that is in its 8th year as a news source in Burlington and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
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