Region announces applications for the Community Investment Fund being accepted now.

News 100 yellowBy Staff

October 26th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Applications for the Halton Region Community Investment Fund are now being accepted

Non-profit organizations that provide social services or community health programs to Halton residents are invited to apply to the Halton Region Community Investment Fund (HRCIF).

Halton RCIF_impact_reportThe Fund provides one-year and multi-year funding to programs and initiatives that support the health, safety and well-being of Halton residents. The HRCIF also supports issues emerging from community safety and well-being planning.

Three categories of funding are available to organizations that meet eligibility criteria, including a stream of funding targeted to programs that address food security. A total of approximately $1,000,000 will be awarded

in new grants through the HRCIF in 2019.

Funding streams include:
Category One: Provides one-year of funding up to $30,000 to non-profit, charitable or unincorporated community organizations for short-term, small capital and/or innovative projects. The deadline for Category One applications is December 14, 2018 at 2 p.m.

Category Two: Provides up to three years of funding to charitable organizations for programs and initiatives. The deadline for Category Two applications is December 14, 2018 at 2 p.m.

Category Three: Provides up to three years of funding to non-profit and/or charitable organizations to enhance food security. The deadline for Category Three applications is December 14, 2018 at 2 p.m.
Organizations interested in applying can learn more about the HRCIF by attending an information session on November 6 or 8.

A collaboration session is also being offered on November 14 for potential applicants interested in exploring collaborative and/or innovative project opportunities with other community partners. For more information about these sessions or HRCIF guidelines, application forms and funding priorities, visit halton.ca or call 311.

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St. Luke's celebrates its 184th anniversary.

News 100 blueBy Staff

October 26th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Anglican Bishop, Rt. Rev. Susan Bell, took part in the celebration of the 184th anniversary of St. Luke’s Church.

Bell, is the first woman bishop of the Niagara Anglican Diocese.

St. Luke’s is perhaps the most significant part of Burlington’s history with its tie to the Joseph Brant family.

The service took place on October 21st.

Rt Reverend Susan Bell

Rt. Rev. Susan Bell

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Stolen car investigations keep Regional police busy - six arrested in two incidents.

Crime 100By Staff

October 26th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Car thefts and catching the criminals has kept the Burlington detachment of the Regional Police busy.

HRPS crestOn October 19th 2018, at approximately 12:30 AM, a uniformed patrol officer located a Mazda CX-5 reported stolen out of Peel Region was located in the rear parking lot of the Motel 6 at 4345 North Service Road in Burlington.

Officers identified a room linked to the stolen vehicle and upon approaching the room, a man and women fled on foot. The woman was quickly arrested exiting the motel while the male was arrested as he was trying to enter a Ford pick-up truck that was driving though the front lot.

The pickup truck sped away but was quickly stopped by an officer whose vehicle was positioned in a manner that blocked the truck from exiting the lot. A female driver and two male passengers were arrested.

A subsequent search of the involved vehicles, room and arrested persons resulted in the seizure of a small quantity of crystal meth, stolen property (dealer licence plate, gift cards, credit/debit cards & car keys) and break-in tools (window punch, bolt cutters, walkie-talkies & headlamps).

The subsequent investigation determined the five persons arrested were responsible for breaking into cars throughout Halton and Peel Regions.

Arrested and charged are:

Fernando MUCCI (20-yrs) of No Fixed Address (formerly of Brampton) was held for bail and remanded into custody. He will appear next by video on November 5th 2018 charged with:
• Theft of vehicle
• Theft under $5000 (15 counts)
• Use stolen credit card (7 counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000 (5 counts)
• Fraud under $5000
• Possession of a controlled substance (crystal meth)
• Fail to comply with probation (6 counts)
Catherine EDWARDS (20-yrs) of No Fixed Address (formerly of Mississauga) was released on a recognizance of bail to appear in Milton court next on November 14th 2018 charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
• Possession of a controlled substance (crystal meth)
• Assault peace officer
• Fail to comply with undertaking

Tyrone MORGAN (31-yrs) of Mississauga was held for bail and subsequently released on an undertaking to appear in Milton Court on November 14th 2018 charged with:
• Obstruct peace officer
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Possession of break in instruments
• Fail to comply with undertaking

Essam HAJJAR (38-yrs) of Oakville was held for bail and subsequently released on an undertaking to appear in Milton Court on November 14th 2018 charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Possession of break in instruments
• Fail to comply with undertaking

Michelle Nadine GARCIA (27-yrs) of Toronto was held for bail and subsequently released on a recognizance of bail to appear in Milton Court on November 14th 2018 charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Possession of break in instruments

On October 24th 2018, at approximately 12:10 AM, a uniformed patrol officer located a stolen Infiniti G37X from Peel Region in the parking lot of the Knights Inn at 517 Plains Rd. E in Burlington.

Officers identified a room linked to the stolen vehicle that resulted in three persons subsequently being arrested. A search of the stolen vehicle resulted in the seizure of property believed to have been stolen from residential break and enters and theft from autos in Halton and Peel Regions. Items recovered are car keys, identification, cell phones, I-pods, change, medication and jewelry.

Arrested and charged are:

Catherine EDWARDS (20-yrs) of Mississauga was held for bail charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
Jonathan BASTA (30-yrs) of Mississauga was released on a recognizance of bail to appear in Milton Court on November 21st 2018 charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000

Stephanie MONIZ (24-yrs) of Hamilton was released on a recognizance of bail to appear in Milton Court on November 21st 2018 charged with:
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000

Police are still investigating the seized property and additional charges are expected.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2316.

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AGB appoints new Senior Curator; Suzanne Carte starts November 12th.

artsblue 100x100By Pepper Parr

October 26th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Art Gallery of Burlington announced the appointment of Suzanne Carte as the new Senior Curator.

Suzanne Carte

Suzanne Carte, appointed Senior Curator at the AGB

Carte is an award-winning curator and cultural producer. She was recently the Assistant Curator at the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) working with a dynamic team to produce high-quality exhibitions and public programs for over a decade.

Carte holds an MA in Contemporary Art History from Sotheby’s Art Institute in New York and a BFA from the University of Windsor. Carte was also a member of the 2017 Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab.

Carte will take up her duties at the Art Gallery of Burlington on November 12, 2018.

She is a cultural producer living in Toronto; within her independent practice, she has curated exhibitions in public spaces, artist-run centres, and commercial and public art galleries including You Cannot Kill What Is Already Dead, Video Rental Store, All Systems Go!, Under New Management, MOTEL and Man’s Ruin.

Previously Carte held positions as outreach programmer for the Blackwood Gallery and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, and as professional development and public program coordinator at the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.

Her critical writing has been published in the AGO’s A.I.R. publication as well as in Magenta Magazine, Art Writ, and Huffington Post. Suzanne holds an MA in Contemporary Art History from Sotheby’s Art Institute in New York and a BFA from the University of Windsor, and she is a member of the 2017 Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab.

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Reflections on a campaign: a lot of 'woulda, shoulda, coulda'.

opinionred 100x100By Marty Staz

October 25th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It seems like forever ago that I ventured into City Hall with my paperwork in hand, plunked down my hundred bucks and entered the Municipal Councillor’s race in our city. Having never done this before I will readily admit that I didn’t really have a grasp on what to do next. My nature has always been to “plan your work and then work your plan” but that wasn’t getting me anywhere since I couldn’t come up with a plan.

Fortunately we were still feeling the effects of very strange provincial election so it gave me time to gather my thoughts.

Side view - mid rise

Marty Staz reviewing a panel of development guidelines

It wasn’t long before I was able to see where I was headed. The issues, the challenges and the talking points all came together and as I started knocking on doors and meeting with people I could feel some engagement building.

I can say with complete honesty that I was in this race with total conviction. Unfortunately, I really don’t feel I could say the same for some of my competitors. A total of eleven candidates submitted their nomination forms. A quick scan of the election results will provide proof of what I mean. I think that $100 isn’t enough to prevent less than committed individuals from wanting to see their name in the public eye. All of this only leads to thoughts of what might have been had we only had the die hard candidates in this race.

This also brings me to another questionable practice that happened for the first time in Burlington. Online voting. Do we really need a seventeen day window to give everyone an opportunity to vote online? We have two days of advance polls so why don’t we have two days of online voting? Over two weeks is a lot of time to lose for a candidate new to the elections race trying to get their message out there. Who knows, maybe it was simply done to favour any incumbent candidates.

Another gripe for me is the number of people that actually got out to vote. In an election with a multitude of issues and the new opportunity to vote online we only got a measly 3% increase in voters from 2014. When I realized this my first reaction was, “those people that didn’t vote must be living in a bubble.” But the more I thought about it I think I was one of the ones living in the bubble. Sixty one per cent of our city don’t seem to be too concerned about what is going on.

A lot of this may sound like sour grapes but truly it is probably more of the “woulda, shoulda, coulda”. I fought hard and have no regrets at all. The 39% of the public that voted simply felt that there was someone else better for the job. To all of the new members of our Council I say congratulations and work hard for us.

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Rogers Hometown Hockey Road Closure - Oct. 25 - 29, 2018

notices100x100By Staff

October 25th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Hometown hockeyWith the arrival of Rogers Hometown Hockey in Burlington this weekend, Brant Street will be closed between Ontario Street and Pine Street starting Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 at 6 a.m. until Monday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.

Emergency access will be maintained at all times.

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Your job as voters is to hold them to account, demand transparency and expect a seat at the table – and then show up.

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

October 25th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

In the next few weeks they will be meeting with people in accounting and giving them the data they need to get their names on the payroll so that half of their annual remuneration of $100,000, give or take a bit, flows into their bank accounts.

They will tell the printing department how they want their names to appear on their business cards.

The IT people will assign them email addresses and cell phones and iPads.

They will get used to parking their cars in the parking lot right outside city hall

Life as they’ve known it will take a whole new meaning. The anxious voters they were chasing just a few days ago with now address them as “Councillor”

Our Mayor Elect will begin to think how she can deploy these younger, eager people who are setting out to do the people’s will.

Few of the five newbies, Kevin Galbraith for ward 1, Lisa Kearns for ward 2, Rory Nisan for ward 3, Shawna Stolte for ward 4 and Angelo Bentivegna for ward 6.

Will Bentivegna show up with his traditional gift of a selection of his biscotti?

Paul Sharman is suddenly the Dean of Council, the only person other than the Mayor, who fully understands the budget these seven people are going to pass before the end of January.

In his first year as a city Councillor Sharman, in 2011, pushed through a 0% budget increase. He could redeem himself, indeed reinvent himself if he could pull that off again and nurture the new five on the intricacies of a municipal budget..

There probably isn’t one of the newbies who could stand up and rhyme off the names of all the Directors and give you twenty words on the approach they take to the departments they operate.

They will learn and the public will be forgiving for at least six months.

The focus, as it should be, will be on the Mayor Elect. She is going to have t determine who she will take on as staff for her eighth floor office. Will some of the people who worked with her day to day in the campaign be part of that team: Lyn Crosby is a possible.

Now that she is in office the public needs to understand that you can’t just trust her to do what she said she would do.  Politics doesn’t work that way.

You couldn’t live with one-term Can Jackson – so you elected Rick Goldring. He looked good, he was a decent sort and so you elected him and trusted him to do right by you.

How did that work out?

Your job as voters is to hold them to account, demand transparency and expect a seat at the table – and then show up.

Hopefully a lesson has been learned.

They all mean well – help them deliver on what they meant when they asked for your vote. They need both your support and your willingness to ask them the hard questions as they set out to do a really hard job.

Kearns direct smile

Councillor Elect Lisa Kearns

Rory - glancing

Councillor Elect Rory Nisan

Shawna listening to Dennison

Councillor Elect Shawna Stolte

Angelo B - squint - red post H&S

Councillor Elect Angelo Bentivegna

They are all in the middle of an incredible euphoria. Let them enjoy it. Then be there for them. The past eight years should have taught us all something.

Kelvin Galbraith headshot_Super_Portrait

Councillor Elect Kevin Galbraith

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Tarragon Theatre production, Cottagers and Indians coming to Burlington

eventsred 100x100By Staff

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre will be presenting the Tarragon Theatre production of Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor November 3 & 4 in their Community Studio Theatre.

Wild rice sparks a battle royale between a native farmer and a white cottager, whose increasingly bitter dispute becomes a microcosm for reconciliation. Told with warmth and humour, and encompassing issues of community, respect and ownership, Cottagers & Indians is a tale for our times – and a food fight for the ages.

Cottagers and Indians Photo full

Scenes from the Tarragon Theatre production of Cottagers and Indians

Award-winning playwright Drew Hayden Taylor exposes the absurdity that comes from these kinds of arguments, and touches on the severity of its historical implications. Cottagers and Indians gives audiences a sincere and pragmatic look at the current conflicts between First Nations’ traditional water usage and property owners in cottage country who are looking to enjoy an undisturbed summer getaway. There will be a post-show chat with the cast of Cottagers and Indians.

“I laughed out loud”, “If you like the jokes in Come From Away, then look into Cottagers and Indians.” – The Globe and Mail

Cottagers and Indians: Written by Drew Hayden Taylor. Original Direction by Patti Shaughnessy. Remount Directed by Melody Johnson. Starring Herbie Barnes & Brooke Johnson. Set Design by Robin Fisher. Costume Design by Sage Paul. Lighting Design by Nick Andison. Sound Design by Beau Dixon. Stage Management by Kate Redding.

The 2018/2019 BPAC season also includes: Canadian Rep Theatre’s Helens Necklace, Canadian Rep Theatre’s How Do I Love Thee: A Staged Play Reading, Evalyn Parry’s SPIN, Ahuri Theatre’s This is the Point.

Tarragon Theatre: Cottagers and Indians
Saturday, November 3 at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 4 at 2pm in the Community Studio Theatre
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre
Tickets can be purchased by telephone, online or in person:
905-681-6000, www.burlingtonpac.ca

www.burlingtonpac.ca/event-listings

440 Locust Street, Burlington, Ontario

 

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The job was to sound like a Mayor - a ribbon cutting should not have been the first public event for the Mayor Elect.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

This is not a good sign.

A ribbon cutting is to take place today to announce the opening of a new Bad Boy store on Fairview; a ribbon cutting will be part of the event.

Photo ops are old school.

Ideas, action, policy and a change in the way the two former Mayors communicated with the public are what the voters expected.

Mel Lastman

Noooobody – Mel Lastman

We got a notice that Bad Boy is opening up a location on Fairview and that MPP Jane McKenna, Mayor Elect Marianne Meed Ward and former Bad Boy Honourary Chair Mel Lastman himself will be on hand for the ribbon cutting.

You can bet that he will holler Noooobody at some point in the ribbon cutting.

It is nice to see the words Mayor Elect before Meed Ward’s name – hope she does more than get her picture taken.

The optics on this event are not very attractive.

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Alison Braithwaite - Words are powerful; embrace the messiness of our lives.

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Gazette met Alison Braithwaite a number of years ago when she was in the private sector. She had this capacity to pick a point in a conversation when she could shift the direction a conversation with a few words.

I wondered about how she had done that for some time after the coffee meeting we had.

Alison Braithwaite -

Alison Braithwaite –

“Words powerfully manifest our lives

“Words are powerful. The words we choose to use influence what we manifest in our lives and how we feel in our bodies. This week, I was speaking to someone who is very special to me. She was talking about her life and some of the challenges that she is facing at the moment. What I heard her saying was: “I am in a fight with this. I am fighting that. I need to fight this other thing.” For her, in this moment, everything seems to be a battle.

“The words we choose affect our bodies

“What I observed in her body as she spoke was how she tensed up as she spoke. The more she spoke of her fights, the more her body tensed up. It was like her body was preparing for battle and getting ready to ward off the missiles being launched her way. I could see the energy she was using just thinking of the battle.

“Let go of the fight

“The metaphor of war is used a lot in our culture. It seems that we, for whatever reason, always need an enemy. We battle the bulge, we battle drugs, we battle cancer and mental health issues. This battling an enemy becomes a big problem when the enemy we are battling is a part of ourselves.
“Shift the metaphor

“We need to shift our metaphors. The metaphor I like to use is that of a kayaker, skillfully navigating white-water. We all have white-water in our lives at times, fighting the water is not going to get us through it.

Reading the water, feeling the water, dancing with the water and skillfully navigating through it works much better.

“Embrace the messiness

Alison Braithwaite logo“A kayaker does not run from the messiness of the whitewater, she sees it, recognizes it, accepts it and moves through it. There is no fight there. Her body becomes as fluid as the water as she chooses her path, navigates her way through and celebrates with euphoria when she is through the tough parts.
“Let’s embrace the messiness of our lives. Accept it without fighting and navigate our way through.”

Questions for self-reflection

1. Over the next week start to notice the words you use. You may want to get some help with this. It is always easier to notice what someone else is saying than hearing what we say ourselves.

2. Notice what metaphors you are using. Are you struggling, fighting, stuck, challenged or moving through things?

3. How is the language you choose limiting or expanding you?

4. What shifts could you make to use more empowering and expansive language?
Remember, you are amazing, you are capable, you are skillfully navigating through life and that is worth celebrating every step of the way.

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Transit changes: number of routes changed to improve the service.

News 100 blueBy Staff

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The transit people want to improve bus arrival times and transit rider connections,  they are going to make changes to bus routes that will be introduced  Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018.

The schedule updates will affect routes 3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 21, 25, 80, 81, and 83. Transit riders are encouraged to check updated schedules before they ride at www.tripplanner.burlington.ca

Summary of transit schedule changes beginning Nov. 4, 2018:

Routes Change

5 and 80 Routes 5 and 80 will operate as separate buses and riders will be required to transfer between Routes 5 and 80 at the Burlington GO station at 2101 Fairview St.
This change will help ensure any delays that may occur on one of these routes will not have an impact on the other route.

6 and 11 Routes 6 and 11 will operate as separate buses and riders will be required to transfer between Routes 6 and 11 at the GO 407 Carpool lot on Dundas Street, west of Walkers Line.
This change will help ensure any delays that may occur on one of these routes will not have an impact on the other route.

12 Route 12 will operate on a 30-minute schedule all day.

11, 21, 25, 81 and 83 The schedules for Routes 11, 21, 25, 81 and 83 will shift by five minutes to improve transit rider connections at GO stations.

Updates to Burlington Transit schedules will result in more frequent bus service along Brant Street as riders will be able to take Routes 3 or 5 between downtown and the Burlington GO station.

Sue Connor with Jim Young

Sue Connor, Director of Burlington Transit with Jim Young an advocate for free transit for seniors one day a week.

Sue Connor, Director, Burlington Transit imported from Brampton is betting that the “schedule changes represent another opportunity to improve Burlington’s Transit service. The updated schedules will help to ensure buses are arriving on time so that riders can make their transit connections to travel through our city.”

Connor is continually reported to have done a great job in Brampton.  Let’s hope that can be achieved here as well.

There is in Burlington, a citizens group that approached the transit people with an idea:  How about aving a bus that runs up and down Brant – with no particular schedule.  It would be a hop on – hope off. And free.

The transit people said they didn’t have a bus that could be dedicated to an experiment like that.  One wonders how people would take to the idea of being able to stand at a bus stop – get on the bus and go anywhere you wanted on Brant Street.

Burlingtonians are married to their cars.  The only way they are going to evolve to transit users is if they are given a chance to try the service and find that it is convenient.

 

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No recount of the ward 6 vote unless Lancaster seeks a court order.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

There was a time when a recount would take place when the results were very close.

That practice is part of the past.

Angelo B + biscotti wide

Angelo’s biscotti making days are coming to an end unless he gets in some quality time with his wife to whip up another batch on a Saturday morning.

Monday night the vote count that was on the city web site had Angelo Bentivegna 39 votes ahead of Blair Lancaster which means on December 3rd he will be sworn in as the member of city council will be Angelo.

Angelo BENTIVEGNA, 2747 votes, 35.73%
Blair LANCASTER, 2708 votes, 35.22%

The Clerk’s office advised the Gazette that “the only automatic recount is in the case of a tie. Otherwise it requires a court order.

Lancaster does have the option of asking a Judge to order a recount of the votes.  How does one recount votes that were done electronically ?

The official results from the city will be out before the end of the week.

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As we embark upon this new chapter in our community’s history ...

opinionred 100x100By Stephen White

October 24th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

In the aftermath of the election a few reflections come to mind.

First, to all the candidates who were elected, sincere and heartfelt congratulations. It takes courage to run for office, as well as a huge amount of self-sacrifice, effort, determination, knocking on doors, sleepless nights, long days, and copious cups of coffee. The thoughts, prayers and good wishes of a community go with you as you embark on this difficult and challenging journey in our City’s history.

Second, to all those who ran and lost, and even those with whom many may have disagreed, please know that there is no shame or disgrace in running and losing. If it takes courage to run for office it also takes twice as much to move forward after a loss. I hope the sting of defeat minimizes with time, and I hope you find a way to remain active and engaged in the life of our City.

Third, we live in a truly wonderful City. As I campaigned during the election and went door-to-door I met an extraordinary number of unique and talented citizens. I was born and raised in Oakville, and have spent the better part of the last 43 years living in Burlington. Although I have lived in different places throughout my career I have always returned here. I believed then as I do even more so now, that we live in an amazing community that is a fascinating combination of different neighbourhoods, ethnicities and cultures. Whenever I speak to new residents and ask them how they like living in Burlington I invariably hear words like “fantastic” and “great”. It makes me proud, but it also makes me truly blessed to call Burlington “home”.

Hand on microphone

Mayor elect Marianne Meed Ward celebrating at the Polish Hall

No doubt this has been a divisive election for several reasons too numerous to mention and not worth re-hashing. Emotions are running high on all sides. There exists a lot of ill-will and bitter feelings. For those who were successful though this is not a time to gloat. Rather, it is an opportunity for everyone to pause, reflect and determine how best we move forward.

Both during my career in Human Resources, as well as through my political involvement over the course of many campaigns, I learned that every interaction in life is a unique compilation of both conflict and conciliation. Conflict in human interactions is inevitable. We don’t all agree on the same things all the time. That is what makes us distinct as individuals. If we all agreed all the time life would be boring. It would also be very unimaginative. In politics, conflict manifests itself as a healthy and respectful exchange of viewpoints and beliefs. Other times it goes much deeper. At some point though we all need to put aside our individual differences, personality conflicts, past grievances and hurts to find points of agreement that allow us to move forward.

Years ago when I was an undergraduate student at McMaster University I did a major paper for my Urban History class on the role of the business community in shaping Burlington’s development between the First and Second World Wars. As part of my research I poured over microfiche records at the Burlington Library of old newspapers. One of the names that I kept coming across through my research was that of Hugh Cleaver.

Hugh Cleaver, for those who may not know, was Burlington’s Mayor in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and Liberal MP from about 1935 – 1948. To my surprise he was alive and still practicing law. I wrote to him requesting an interview, and he very graciously granted my request.

Cleaver Hugh _House_01_GP___Gallery

The Hugh Cleaver house on Caroline – was demolished and replace by a semi-detached house.

On a freezing cold day in February 1977 I travelled to his office on Caroline Street where I met him. Mr. Cleaver was tall, erect and imposing, but in spite of this remained very approachable. Rather than sit in his office talking we climbed into his Volvo and he drove me around the city. He pointed with pride to many of the developments he had been involved in constructing that included an apartment building on Market Street and homes in the Roseland area, many of which I should add are still standing. His memory was encyclopedic, and despite being well into his eighties his passion and love for this City was nothing short of contagious.

Cleaver - Hugh H&SMr. Cleaver is gone now, but his legacy remains. I think of him today, and wonder what he would think about our City. One thing that resonates about our conversation over 40 years ago was our discussion around how to energize and sustain a community under pressure. During the 1930’s that pressure was overcoming economic challenges brought about by the Depression. Today our challenges may not be economic but they are nevertheless formidable.

One thing Hugh Cleaver reinforced was the notion of respect. Mr. Cleaver knew how to reach across and connect with voters and residents regardless of their political affiliation or approach. He lived in the community, and took enormous pride in what he built and created. For him, it wasn’t just about turning a profit or building a magnificent edifice or monument. It was about creating a community that was vital, diverse, sustaining and balanced, but also, one which was inclusive.

I hope as we embark upon this new chapter in our community’s history that our Mayor, our Council and our community pause to reflect on the legacy we’ve all inherited, and the insights offered by past leaders like Hugh Cleaver.

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Foxcroft: Get behind the new Mayor and concentrate on getting the Tiger Cats to the Grey Cup.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

October 23rd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

While the rest of the city adjusts to the new reality at city hall, Ron Foxcroft puts the changes in perspective and lets us know what it is that is really important

“So happy that silly time is over, and no more political campaigns until 2019.

“I enjoyed working with Mr. Goldring, who was a man of integrity, leadership and class.

Foxcroft with Goldring

Ron Foxcroft on the right talking to Rick Goldring

“Marianne ran an efficient and masterful campaign, with drive and innovation.

“She has shown to be a team builder, with enormous enthusiasm, and energy.

“We all know that there is much difference between campaigning and managing.

“We must get behind our new Mayor, to help create an environment where managing the company (City) can be successful.

“Managing companies in this new complicated world is very challenging.

“It takes new skills, far from the days, where a hand shake was gospel.”

Oskee Wee Wee. Now we concentrate on getting the Tiger Cats to the Grey Cup.”

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If it says it is from your bank - look it over very carefully - banks do use email to send you information.

Crime 100By Staff

October 22, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

An offer to repair your computer by someone you don't know is like giving them your wallet.

They get to you by email – your only protection is to be super vigilant.

RE: BMO Account Report
This sounded pretty official:

On October 22, 2018 we received a letter from FCIB, MBA.

We included in this email copies of the quarterly statements issued for the period June 21, 2018 to September 2018. The document describes notes placed in a locked pension protected by the Canada Pension Standart Act 1985, for more information please check documents included in this email.

Sincerely, Tim Trenblay

Note: FCIA – is a designation -Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries; MBA usually stands for Master of Business Administration.

The spelling error was an early clue. The attached file was an Excel file, why would a bank send me one of those?

The address the email came from was the biggest clue: BMO Financial Group noreply@bmodoc.com

Follow the rule: If in doubt – don’t.

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He was the first performer to take to the Performing Arts Centre stage in 2011 - Royal Wood returns.

eventsblue 100x100By Pepper Parr

October 23rd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The man who opened the Performing Arts Centre in 2011 will be back on the stage on the 18th of November.

Royal Wood signing CD's after the first commercial event at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. They loved him.

Royal Wood signing CD’s after the first commercial event at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. They loved him.

Royal Wood was the first performer to go before a paying audience at the Performing Arts Centre
He released his latest EP “Love Will Linger:, a fresh collection of songs from the vaults of his recent album “Ever After The Farewell”.

“While making my last album, I was left with a handful of songs that meant a great deal to me, but didn’t fit the overall sound of the album,” says Royal. “They were songs of love and loss, taken deep from within my heart and soul. Written during the days of losing my father to Alzheimer’s and falling in love with my now wife – it’s a collection of songs I wanted the world to hear.”

That contrast of love and loss dominated the entire creative process of the making of the music .Recorded in London with Jamie Scott (Niall Horan / Calum Scott), the aim was to capture the rawest possible sound, with most of the songs being recorded the day they were written.

Royal wood

Royal Wood

To heighten the emotion, the music was recorded on the Beatles EMI console that made Abbey Road possible. “This EP contains poignant songs like ‘Photograph’, a song that examines the treasure my family now finds in the old photographs of my father. As well, songs like “Make Your Mind Up” tell the story of the exuberance and uncertainty of newfound love and lust.”

Tickets can be ordered at the Performing Arts Centre Box office.

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Ward 5 candidate takes exception to the Gazette coverage he got; sends a Notice of Libel

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

October 23rd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

During the municipal election we wrote a number of articles about different candidates. We had not gotten to the point where we were ready to interview Daniel Roukema, who was running for the ward 5 council seat.

We did get a strong note from him demanding that we remove personal information about him from the list of candidates that were running in ward 5. We explained that the information came from the city Clerk’s office and was therefore public and we could see no reason for removing it.

That was the extent of our early interaction with Roukema.

Daniel R

Daniel Roukema

We then learned that Roukema had at last one significant legal matter that had yet to go to trial and were able to obtain copies of the claim Roukema was making and the defence that has been submitted.

A few days later we were sent a copy of an email that had some intemperate language.

When we were publishing a round up the candidates in each ward the Gazette thought were likely to win the election we included links to the Statement of Claim, the Defence and a copy of the email that was sent to us.
Our role as media is to inform the public. Mr. Roukema certainly wasn’t going to release that information.

The article was published as an opinion piece.

Early on Monday, Election Day, we received a notice of libel from a Hamilton law firm.

Libel notices are an occupational hazard in the newspaper business.

The notice in part said (it was 37 pages long and included everything that ever appeared in the Gazette relating to Roukema.)

The relevant part said:

(i) A newspaper article published to www.burlingtongazette.ca on October 16, 2018 by Pepper Parr which contains, among other things, information and comments about Daniel Roukema pertaining to “financial baggage” and “legal claims”.

(ii) A newspaper article published to www.burlingtongazette.ca on October 21, 2018 by Pepper Parr which contains, among other things, information and comments about Daniel Roukema pertaining to his alleged “baggage” and “legal problems and approach to communicating with people”.

To fully appreciate what follows you need to understand what the definition of inter alia is. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: among other things.

The Roukema lawyers said:
It is the position of Daniel Roukema that the abovementioned articles are defamatory in their entirety. Thus, should litigation be necessary, Daniel Roukema will be seeking damages based on the entirety of their contents. Nonetheless, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, Daniel Roukema complains in particular about the following statements and links to documents contained within the aforementioned newspaper articles:

a) [Daniel Roukema’s] financial baggage and legal claims will get in the way of his being able to be an effective member of Council.

b) [Daniel Roukema’s] working style lacks the collaboration he mentioned seven times in his closing remarks

c) Daniel Roukema brings far too much baggage to the campaign. His legal problems and approach to communicating with people are serious concerns.

Lawyers frequently use Latin terms. One of those terms is inter alia which means among other things.

The following came from Roukema’s lawyer. WE did not say this about the man.

These statements are false and malicious, as in their natural and ordinary meaning and by way of innuendo, the words meant and were understood to mean, inter alia, that Daniel Roukema

(i) was deranged, unbalanced, strange, and/or somehow mentally unhinged

(ii) was prone to bizarre and suspicious behaviour,

(iii) was prone to loitering and guilty of trespassing,

(iv) was dishonest

(v) was a liar

(vi) had somehow engaged in misconduct that was socially unacceptable and/or illegal

(vii) had conspired with others for nefarious ends (viii) had stalked others and invaded their right to privacy

(viii) had stalked others and invaded their right to privacy

(ix) had poor personal hygiene

(x) was covered in dirt and filth

(xi) was somehow pathetic

(xii) was a person deserving of pity

(xiii) was a person deserving of scorn

(xiv) was a person deserving of ridicule

(xv) was a person unfit to hold office

(xvi) had engaged in criminal misconduct

(xvii) holds authoritarian views

(xviii) has no respect for the rule of law

(xix) is somehow a threat to the personal liberty of citizens

(xx) is somehow a threat to the maintenance of a free and democratic society

(xxi) lacks integrity,

(xxii) lacks judgment.

Neither Pepper Parr or the Burlington Gazette made these statements.  We would not have permitted our legal counsel to use this kind of language.

Regarding all of the recipients of this notice, it is hereby requested that you immediately publish an apology on www.burlingtongazette.ca retracting the contents of the abovementioned comments in their entirety. Moreover, as further publication would itself be actionable, our client also requests that www.burlingtongazette.ca and/or Pepper Parr immediately remove the impugned comments, and any mention of the aforementioned comments, from the www.burlingtongazette.ca website.

Should you fail to provide on or before November 5, 2018 an affirmative response to this notice, our office has been given instructions to commence proceedings seeking both injunctive relief and monetary damages. However, as our client would prefer an amicable resolution to this situation, I trust that a civil action will not be required.

Of the five candidates running for the ward 5 city council seat Daniel Roukema placed third.

The vote count was:

Wendy MORAGHAN, 2336 votes, 27.96%
Daniel ROUKEMA, 1319 votes, 15.79%
Paul SHARMAN, 2840 votes, 33.99%
Mary Alice ST. JAMES, 1471 votes, 17.61%
Xin Yi ZHANG, 389 votes, 4.66%

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Meed Ward handily takes the office of Mayor from Rick Goldring; there might be just the one holder-over from the current council.

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

October 23rd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

While not official Official – the following are the results of the 2018 municipal election.

Meed WArd at PARC

Mayor-elect Marianne Meed Ward

Marianne MEED WARD, 23360 votes 46.04%
Rick GOLDRING, 16781 votes, 33.08%
Mike WALLACE, 9609 votes, 18.94%
Greg WOODRUFF, 983 votes, 1.94%

Marianne Meed Ward will be the new Mayor to be sworn in on December 3rd at the Performing Arts Centre.

It looks as if two of the incumbents, Jack Dennison and Blair Lancaster have lost – the ward 6 vote is very very close – might need a recount.

What kind of a Council will Meed Ward have to work with?

It will be Kevin Galbraith in ward 1, Lisa Kearns in ward 2, Rory Nissan in ward 3, Shawna Stolte in ward 4, Paul Sharman in ward 5 and Angelo Bentivegna in ward 6.

In an exclusive interview with the Gazette Meed Ward stressed how critical it was for the next city council to collaborate and work as a team.

With the only hold-over from the old council being Paul Sharman, she should be able to put together a Council that will work well together. Sharman will not have anything in the way of support. We can expect to see some of those 6-1 votes with Sharman on the short end of the stick; a position he was quite willing to assign to Meed Ward.

It will take at least a year for the new members of council to find their footing. In that year they are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting.

The numbers on a ward by ward basis are as follows:

Kelvin Galbraith headshot_Super_Portrait

Kevin Galbraith

Ward 1
Jason BOELHOUWER, 679 votes, 7.71%
Vince FIORITO, 574 votes, 6.52%
Kelvin GALBRAITH, 1880 votes. 21.36%
Arlene IANTOMASI, 1142 votes, 12.97%
Andrew Paul JORDAN, 199 votes, 2.26%
“Kevin LEE. 838 votes. 9.52%
Garry MILNE, 164 votes, 1.86%
Tayler MORIN, 86 votes, 0.98%
René PAPIN, 556 votes, 6.32%
Marty STAZ, 1242 votes, 14.11%
Judy WORSLEY, 1443 votes, 16.39%

The Craven machine just couldn’t pull it off. The Chair of the Aldershot BIA, Kevin Galbraith defeated the Executive Director Judy Worsley who had the Craven ability to win behind her.

Lisa Kearns Election Photo

Lisa Kearns

Ward 2
Kimberly CALDERBANK, 1711 votes, 21.30%
Michael JONES, 781 votes, 9.72%
Lisa KEARNS, 3195 votes, 39.77%
Gerard SHKUDA, 73 votes, 0.91%
Roland TANNER, 2058 votes, 25.62%
Walter WIEBE, 216 votes, 2.69%

Lisa Kearns earned the win. She was up against a sterling candidate. Her performance as an ECoB delegator may well have won the seat for her.

Rory Nisan

Rory Nisan

Ward 3
Lisa COOPER, 764 votes, 11.91%
Darcy HUTZEL, 542 votes, 8.45%
Rory NISAN, 3467 votes, 54.05%
Peter RUSIN, 191 votes, 2.98%
Gareth WILLIAMS, 1451 votes, 22.62%

The surprise here was how soundly Rory Nisan
defeated Gareth Williams; the other surprise was
that Peter Rusin actually got the votes he did get.

Image 3

Shawna Stolte

Ward 4
Jack DENNISON, 4624 votes, 44.24%
Shawna STOLTE, 5828 votes, 55.76%

The only ward with a straight one-on-one race, the Roseland community finally got what they have been longing for. It will be interesting to see how Shawna Stolte grows into the job.

 

Sharman

Paul Sharman

Ward 5
Wendy MORAGHAN, 2336 votes, 27.96%
Daniel ROUKEMA, 1319 votes, 15.79%
Paul SHARMAN, 2840 votes, 33.99%
Mary Alice ST. JAMES, 1471 votes, 17.61%
Xin Yi ZHANG, 389 votes, 4.66%

The high number of candidates let Sharman hold
on to the seat – 33.9% of the vote went his way.

Were the city using ranked balloting,
harman would probably not have won.

Ward 6
Angelo BENTIVEGNA, 2747 votes, 35.73%
Blair LANCASTER, 2708 votes, 35.22%

qwb

Angelo Bentivegna

Kinsey SCHURM, 954 votes, 12.41%
Ken WHITE, 1279 votes, 16.64%

What do we know? With just 39 votes between Lancaster and Bentivegna there will probably be a re-count – so don’t count Lancaster out yet. Would ranked balloting have given the seat to Lancaster?

The voter turn out was much lower than many expect; the prediction was that the turnout would be above 50% – it was a disapointing 39.7? of the eligible voters.

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Resident is completely embarrassed that the City was not more considerate about taking care of our

News 100 redBy Staff

October 22nd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

There is good news ( a longish line at a polling station) and some disturbing concerns (poor service for seniors) from a resident who was voting today.

I have just voted at Nelson High School. There was a long line out the door when I arrived but it moved at a reasonable pace, taking about 30 min to get through the whole thing. However, I am sure that the dozen or so folks I saw who relied on a walker or cane felt otherwise.

The ceremonies over the Naval Promenade becomes the fous with the Seniors' out in force listening to the All MAle Welsh Choir. Strolling along is Craig Stevens, the city's project manager on the pier project. He direction and oversight kept the project going when it got a little wonky at times - but that's another story.

Seniors with mobility issues need to be considered whenever an event takes place.

There was ZERO assistance available to them, no one greeted them or offered to make things easier or more comfortable, and there was no sign of another option for those with accessibility challenges. Given the fact that services for seniors have been one of the main topics of discussion throughout the election, AND that there is a high percentage of seniors in Ward 4, AND that they are the demographic with traditionally the highest turnout at elections, what kind of accommodations were made for those individuals who might have needed somewhere to sit while waiting for their turn? Better yet, why make them wait at all?

A gentleman in front of me who relied on a cane had to bounce from a stone out front of the school to a chair inside the main doors, to another chair positioned right outside the gym door. It was a horrible location for him to have to sit, but he should not have had to do that in the first place. It was only after I said something to someone who seemed like she worked there that she offered to move him to the front of the line. The fact that all these citizens of Burlington made the effort to come out and vote in spite of their physical limitations says more about their character and commitment to the election process than it does about our City Officials.

I am so upset, and completely embarrassed that the City was not more considerate about taking care of our most valued citizens, that I had to write immediately. Burlington, you can do SO much better than this!

Leslie Barbetta

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We are about to confirm our selection of municipal leadership for the next four years. Now is the time to re-state the service and planning priorities the citizens of this community value; clearly defining our goals.

background 100By Staff

October 22, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

A Gazette reader sent us a letter he received from that was published in the Meaford Independent last week, which he thought deserved repeating.

Burlington is not Meaford but as you read the piece you may find yourself thinking – that place is just like Burlington.

Burlington aerial

Home for all of us.

Congratulations and thank you to the citizens of our community who put their names forward to serve as municipal politicians. As tax-paying citizens, we expect our democratically elected officials to represent our interests and dig deep for the personal courage and commitment to move our community ahead to where we agree it needs to go. Building a genuine, efficiently managed community is a significant public responsibility and not an easy task with the ever-changing nature of societal and economic needs.

I am listening to the discussions and comments of candidates competing for positions as elected representatives of our community and I admit that I am concerned. No one would argue with the importance of ensuring our roads and bridges are safe, now and into the future, but there are other things that are important too. We want our elected representatives to talk to us, the citizens of this community, about the quality of life we seek to have for the future. I believe our government officials and staff need to work together with their citizens to clearly define what we want our town to look like, and once defined, determine how we get there.

It concerns me greatly when I hear comments like “give the developers and contractors whatever they want to encourage them to build new housing in our community.” Of course, we need to attract new families to live, work and go to school in Meaford, but we don’t want to meet this goal at the detriment of citizens enjoying what this community already offers. It is the challenge before us to agree upon and implement a balance in the use of resources to create the quality of community life that we seek.

What worries me are some of the comments I’m hearing about things like [community projects] being in jeopardy, or not being able to afford [services]. This is rubbish! People can afford what they want to afford and there are all kinds of levels of affordability. We would like our elected officials to implement plans to keep and build upon the services that our citizens value. It is also important that we have a clear vision of our priorities … now and for the future …. and that we communicate these clearly to those who represent us.
It is a huge expectation we have of our elected officials to come together and agree upon this community’s priorities and commit 100% to work together and with other governments to implement plans to make our priorities happen. There will never be enough money to do all the things that we want to do to enhance the quality of our community life, so we must be abundantly clear about our goals.

So, we have a lot of work to do. We are about to confirm our selection of municipal government leadership going forward for the next four years. In my personal view, perhaps now is a perfect time to re-state the service and planning priorities the citizens of this community value, and clearly define our future mission and goals.

As you go about casting your vote today – understand what the issues are – and make a choice based on what you know.

Tomorrow morning we will know who is going to lead the city through some of the difficult days ahead.

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