Albert Facenda, a small Burlington developer, with distinct views of his own, made a comment on political donations where he appears to be skewing just what some candidates mean when they say they will not accept donations from developers.
Facenda says: “Since many business owners could benefit from council decisions. Taxi owners, building supply companies, arbourists. Paving companies, the list goes on and on. Will MMW (Marianne Meed Ward) keep an arm’s length relationship with them and refuse their personal donations. That slope gets quite slippery when you only exclude developers.”
The province changed the rules about political campaign donations making it illegal to accept donations from corporations and unions. What the province wanted to end was a specific sector of the economy donating large sums of money to people running for council.
Meed Ward has taken a grass roots approach – she is looking for those $25 donations and perhaps $100 donations. She wants to see the campaign funds coming from a broad section of the community and not bunched up from the corporate sector.
When a corporation sends a candidate a cheque they expect their phone calls to be returned.
There is at least one current candidate that isn’t taking a dime from the public purse – the candidate is funding the campaign.
We are aware of another that has put the first $9000 into his campaign.
Each candidate knows how much they are allowed to spend – they get told what that amount is when they file their nomination papers.
In one of our more recent conversations with Meed Ward she said she wasn’t sure yet what she could spend – but she did have a number in her head as to what she expected to have to spend.
What gets raised and spent is made public when the campaign is over – it would be nice to know where the money is coming from before you vote.
How do you keep election campaign funding clean. Choose the ones you like that reflect your values and send them a cheque. Doesn’t have to be a big cheque; it shouldn’t be a big cheque. Just help keep elections clean.
There is no level to which a thief will not descend.
People visiting a cemetery park their cars and leave a purse, maybe a camera, maybe a small computer. They won’t need them during the visit to the burial plot they want to spend some time at.
One can almost imagine the conversation a thief would have with himself – no one will expect anyone to rob a car at a cemetery – but that is exactly what was done at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery earlier this week.
Police have been investigating several thefts from vehicles that have occurred since the beginning of June in Burlington (Aldershot) at the Royal Botanical Gardens and Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Suspect(s) gained entry into several vehicles through unlocked doors and by smashing windows after which they stole purses and subsequently used stolen credit cards at various locations in Hamilton.
On June 18th 2018 investigators arrested Richard James BLASDELL (49-yrs) of Brantford for his involvement in these occurrences. He was released on a Promise to Appear in Milton Court on July 11th 2018 charged with the following offences:
• Theft under $5000 (three counts) • Fraud under $5000 (two counts) • Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000 (two counts)
Police are reminding the public of the following prevention tips:
• Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are kept locked/secure • Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle • Park in a well-lit and attended areas whenever possible • Never leave spare keys in your vehicle • If you have to leave valuables in your vehicle, lock them in your trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages or purses in plain view or on the seat. • Remove garage door openers, GPS navigation and cell phone devices & power cords from your vehicle or at the least, removed from view • Consider installing CCTV / Surveillance cameras which can capture the crime and aid in suspect identification
It has been a bumpy road for ECoB. One of the small but very effective grass roots citizen organizations has lot yet another board member.
Jim Young threw the organization a serious curve when he suddenly resigned which reduced the organization to three board members.
Lisa Kerns one of the original ECoB board members resigned when she announced she was going to run for city council.
Lisa Kerns, a very effective ECoB member resigned when she announced her intention to run for the ward 2 city council seat.
ECoB – Engaged Citizens for Burlington was formed when some in the downtown core were appalled with a city council decision to approve a 23 storey tower opposite city hall.
The first ECoB meeting was held on the recreation room of one of the Lakeshore Road condominium recreation rooms. A number of people showed up with cheques in their pockets to fund the nascent organization.
It wasn’t all that clear what the organization was going to do. Were they in place to oppose the building a high rise towers in the downtown core?
Were they going to appeal any city decisions?
It took ECoB some time to find their footing but they did. When Mayor Goldring held what he called a Reverse Town Hall to address the concerns people had over intensification downtown the ECoB people came close to taking over his meeting when they walked into the meeting with a resolution that had been passed by ECoB group hours earlier.
Weeks later ECoB held a meeting that drew about 85 people and raised far more money than they expected.
The 23 storey Carriage Gate development will now get its building permit.
Their agenda began to become clearer. They would appeal the city decision to the LPAT, the organization that was created to replace the OMB.
That proved to be easier said than done. The number of days hat were available to file an appeal was not clear.
At one point the ECoB people showed up at city hall and were told they were too early – so they waited.
They were fortunate enough to have an experienced, retired municipal planner who was able to advise and counsel them on the process and procedures. Working ones way through municipal procedures is another world.
Deputy city manager Mary Lou Tanner, on the left, looking at the LEGO 3D model ECoB made showing what the downtown core could look like if high rise developments were permitted.
ECoB had a knack for catching the public’s imagination. During the early debates on downtown intensification citizens wanted to city to create a model of what downtown might look like with high rose building. The city said these things take time to create and they didn’t have the resources – ECoB found a way to let people know what the downtown core could look like if there were a lot of high rise condominiums – they creted their own 3D model with Lego.
ECoB did register an appeal to LPAT on the Council’s decision to allow the construction of a 23 storey building on the corner of Brant and James Street on June 13th, 2018.
They then withdrew the appeal?
Jim Young
– Why – Two Reasons – a letter of resignation from Jim Young, chair of ECoB which was sent to the City Clerk’s office indicating that he was not in favor of the appeal going forward on June 14th.
There were a number of issues behind the Young decision. One was an article that ran in the Toronto Star that mentioned a developer in Markham who was suing the City of Markham and two Markham residents who had signed the appeal application. They were being sued for ten million dollars.
This kind of law suit is issued by developers and people with a lot of money when they don’t like what media writes.
The Gazette was sued by Nicholas Leblovic in October 2012 for $1 million. The writ turned some of the blonde hair on the head of the wife I had at the time into grey – it marked the beginning of the end of that marriage.
Nicholas Leblovic, on the right, at the time Chair of the Waterfront Advisory committee on a tour of the Pump House in the Beachway.
The law suit went nowhere. Leblovic issued the writ then failed to follow up. The Gazette had to cover the costs – the lawyers are not cheap – and Leblovic got to go his merry way.
Issuing this kind of writ has been seen as an abuse of process; there is now legislation in Ontario to put a stop to this kind of thing.
ECoB questions a system that encourages residents to appeal decisions made by municipalities, yet fails to protect them from developers who can threaten lawsuits.
ECoB decided to withdraw the appeal. The city can now issue Carriage Gate a building permit and the 23 storey tower can be built.
Earlier this week Jim Young sent the Gazette a note saying: “I have put together a timeline of the events leading up to my resignation from ECoB and my reasons for resigning. It is fairly long and detailed. Are you interested in it?”
The Gazette said it was interested but we have yet to hear from Jim Young.
ECoB points out that it was created to be a voice for the residents. All organizations have internal issues. ECoB always indicated that the Municipal Election was important, in some ways, more important than the appeal.
True change will only come about with changes on Council.
While the withdrawing of the appeal application disappoints some, ECoB points out that it has been very active and will continue to be active.
ECoB’s first public meeting
– ECoB held a community meeting to bring residents together in December.
– ECoB held a rally at City Hall
– ECoB held a very successful potential candidate workshop in February at Tansley Woods
– ECoB was featured twice on Your TV – The Issue – to bring residents issues about the proposed Official Plan to the public.
– ECoB was instrumental in having a story not only in The HamiltonSpectator, but also the Toronto Star.
– ECoB met with Mary-Lou Tanner and members of her staff to suggest ways of making residents a more integral part in the planning process. This did result in some minor changes.
– ECoB met with Eleanor McMahon to encourage Provincial involvement.
– ECoB met with the mayor and some of the Councillors who were prepared to hear our concerns.
ECoB’s meeting for people who were interested in running for public office.
– ECoB has been meeting with potential candidates in the upcoming Municipal Election.
– ECoB has rented venues for Ward Candidate Meetings that will be happening in the fall just before the municipal election
ECoB is more than just about appealing a decision to build the 23 storey tower at 421 Brant Street.
There was a time when city council has 17 members. The city has a seven member council – four people can decide major issues. Many want to see that changed.
By Pepper Parr
June 19th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
No one lingered to reflect on all the things that have happened in the Council Chamber for more than a decade. The meeting of city council last night was the last that will take place in the Chamber until a new Council is sworn in after the October 22nd election.
Town Crier David Vollick reading a message to city Council.
The Chamber is going to be totally renovated with significantly upgraded technology. In the new Chamber every delegation will have a place to sit, and if we understood what we heard, delegations will be required to sit when they delegate.
Hopefully there will be a timer that delegations can see when they are speaking – the Chair has to cut in and remind speakers that they are running out of time.
Council meetings will take place in Room 247 which will have web casting equipment in place
Better seating, better view of the material being shown on screens are hopefully part of the upgrades being done to the Council Chamber.
Jim Ryan addressing council 1978
For those who watch Council meeting via the web cast hopefully Burlington will join other Halton municipalities and have a split screen that allows the viewing public to see the visuals that those in the Chamber have been able to see.
An upgrade to the quality of the visuals is badly needed and an automated voting system that is better than the embarrassment the city is using now.
At the close of the meeting city manager James Ridge offered to cut out a piece of the carpeting that lines the horseshoe to give council members as mementos. No one took him up on the offer but Councillor Taylor did say he might like dibs on his chair.
Frank McKeown, Mayor’s Chief of Staff at the time, attempts to fix the clock in Council Chambers.
The big question on the seating arrangement will be who will occupy the chair usually used by the city manager. His contract is thought to be coming up for renewal and there are some people who are described as heavy hitters who don’t think he has earned a second contract and others who don’t think he will be a good fit for what has the potential to be a much different council – at least three of the seven seat will have new faces.
Craven of ward 1 and Taylor of ward 3 have announced retirements and Meed Ward in ward 2 is running for Mayor – that means at least three new faces
UPDATE: Marty Staz advised the Gazette that he has “over 25 years of roots in Ward 1 and is in the process of a search for a new home in the Ward.
There are now six candidates running for the ward 1 city council seat. It is beginning to approach the ten that ran for office in ward 6 during the 2014 election.
Despite there being six candidates – the pickings are pretty slim.
The most recent entry is Judy Worsley, the woman who runs the Aldershot BIA, said to have been hand-picked by current council member Rick Craven.
Jason Boelhouwer, centre was seen at municipal event before the last election – then he dropped out of site.
Jason Boelhouwer 163 Old Orchard Rd., Burlington, ON, L7T 2G2 905-979-7833 jason_boelhouwer@yahoo.ca https://jasonboelhouwer.wixsite.com/ward1
Boelhouwer ran in the 2014 election – he was no match for Rick Craven. Doesn’t bring much to the table. Other than showing up at a few public meetings as a participant – we haven’t heard much from Boelhouwer
Kelvin Galbraith 93 Queen Mary Ave., Burlington, ON 905-928-4513 kelvingalbraith@gmail.com
Arlene Iantomasi 772 Old York Rd., Burlington, ON, L7P 4X9 905-516-2691 arlo60@sympatico.ca
Rene Papin with presumptive Burlington MPP Jane McKenna
René Papin 905-541-7404 rehp1985@gmail.com
Papin doesn’t give a home address – believed to live outside the ward. Papin, his sister is a school board trustee, has wanted to hold public office for some time. He was a contender as the PC candidate in the the 2011 provincial election. He was asked to step aside – and did.
Staz lives out of the ward. do fully understand Aldershot you really have to live in Aldershot. It is a community with a very distinct mind-set that Councillor Craven tapped into very successfully. It may be some time before Aldershot sees another politician who can hold the ward the way Craven has, despite his shorrtcomings.
Judy Worsley, Executive Director of the BIA wants to move up the food chain – can she create her own profile and be effective?
Judy Worsley 629 Cedar Ave., Burlington, ON, L7T 2R4 905-220-0359 judyworsley4ward1@gmail.com
Worsley is thought to be the candidate of choice for retiring ward 1 council member Rick Craven. He has a well oiled campaign team that just might have enough life in it to give the seat to Worsley. The question many ask is: will it be Worsley speaking or will she be just a puppet for Craven. She is going to have to craft her own profile and convince the voters that she is her own person.
At the start of Standing Committee and Council meetings the chair will read a Land Acknowledgement statement.
“Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the Anishinaabeg to the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis – our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in Indigenous history.
“The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
“We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.”
The national anthem will be sung at the start of City Council meetings.
For the next several days the Brant Street Pier will be lit with colours representing each of the Indigenous people of Canada: June 19, the Metis; June 20, the Inuit; and June 21, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation.
In this portrait Joseph Brant is seen wearing the gorget given to him by King George III. That gorget is the most important piece in the collection at the Joseph Brant Museum.
It will be interesting to learn just how much more information there will be about Joseph Brant at the Joseph Brant Museum when it completes its transformation. In the past there has been just a pretty pathetic display of material.
Anyone buying illegal tobacco products is funding organized crime.
That’s the message Crime Stoppers of Halton is delivering to the public through a promotional campaign to help combat the distribution of illegally manufactured cigarettes.
The initiative is also part of a campaign by several Crime Stoppers programs to create awareness and stop the sale of contraband tobacco products across the Greater Toronto Area.
“We want people to know they are helping finance organized crime activity such as drug smuggling, gun running and human trafficking,” said Detective Constable Jodi Richmond, police coordinator of Halton Crime Stoppers. “A lot of this criminal activity is organized by outlaw motorcycle gangs and the cost to taxpayers runs into the billions of dollars.”
Richmond also said an increasing number of fire deaths in Ontario are now being blamed on illegal cigarettes which are made without self-extinguishing safeguards.
“So not only are people who buy contraband cigarettes helping organized crime to thrive, but they are also putting lives at risk,” she said. “It’s definitely not a victimless crime.”
Dave Bryans, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association said “The Ontario Convenience Stores are pleased to stand with Halton Crime Stoppers in fight against contraband tobacco that is infiltrating every community in Ontario.
“Today we see contraband reaching epidemic proportions at 37% of all tobacco now being untaxed and illegal with highs in Northern Ontario of 65% +. We are hoping the new PC Government will work with Crime Stoppers and the Convenience Store sector to address this issue and look for solutions to minimize the delivery system in Ontario.”
We basically took the land from the Indigenous people.
Some treaties were signed – we didn’t always live up to those treaties.
Canadians have begun creating a new relationship with the Indigenous people. The Halton District School Board has been reading a Land Acknowledgement statement at the beginning of each meeting for some time.
Starting this Monday Burlington city council will begin doing the same thing. Stacey LaForme the elected Chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, a graduate of the Osgoode Hall Law School and a member of the Ontario Bar will be a significant part of this ceremony this afternoon.
Stacey LaForme the elected Chief of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation,
In 2002, LaForme served on the Ontario Divisional Court panel that ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was a violation of their civil rights; his suggestion – that marriage be redefined – was subsequently adopted by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
A member of the Mississaugas people, LaForme is the first appellate court judge in Canadian history with a First Nations background. He has served as the Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario; as the Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims; and – until his resignation in October 2008 – as head of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He will probably be the most distinguished, qualified and accomplished person at the event.
Some Burlington high schools have been holding “blanket ceremonies”, an interactive way of learning the history most Canadians are never taught.
Blankets representing the territory of Canada – it all belonged to the First Nations before the Europeans arrived.
The Blanket Exercise is based on participatory popular education methodology and the goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. Everyone is actively involved as they step onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations.
By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.
Students learn the key terms and concepts behind the words Aboriginal peoples, First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Aboriginal peoples is the term used in Canada’s constitution, it has specific importance within a Canadian legal context.
Assimilation, Colonization, Discrimination, Doctrine of Discovery, Equity and First Nations which is not a legal term but replaces “Indian” in common usage. The term elevates First Nations to the status of “first among equals” alongside the English and French founding nations of Canada.
The Blanket ceremony takes participants through the history that took away more and more of the land that the First Nations owned.
Indigenous peoples is a term for which there is no one definition because it is up to each Indigenous person to define themselves, something that for far too long has been done by others. However, Indigenous peoples all over the world have the common experience of being the original inhabitants of a territory and being oppressed by ethnic groups that arrived later.
A Mohawk (Kanienkehaka) person from Akwesasne who is a member of the Bear clan may choose any number of indentifiers. Others may identify themselves as members of one of the many other First Nations in Canada – Innu, Cree, Salteaux, Ojibwe, Haida, Dene, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Blood, Secwepmec, etc., each with its own history, culture, and traditions.
The lnd that the First Nations owned ended up being reserves around the country.
In 1876 all the laws dealing with Indigenous peoples in Canada were gathered together and put into the Indian Act. The Canadian government used the Indian Act to attack the identity of Indigenous peoples. It limited hunting and fishing and made spiritual ceremonies like the potlatch, pow-wow and sundance against the law. This didn’t change until the 1950s. To this day, the Indian Act controls many aspects of Indigenous peoples’ lives.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, thousands of First Nations and Métis children were forced illegally from their homes and adopted or fostered, usually by non-Indigenous people. This period is known as the 60s scoop. Many of these kids experienced violence, racism and abuse and lost connection to their identity and culture. Like residential schools, the purpose of the 60’s scoop was assimilation.
The land that Burlingtonians live on is represented in treaties; what is now Burlington is land that was given to Joseph Brant who in tern sold it off in bits and pieces. There isn’t as much as a square foot that belong to a descendant of the Brant family. But we named our main street after the man.
Treaties are internationally binding agreements between sovereign nations. Hundreds of treaties of peace and friendship were concluded between the European settlers and First Nations during the period prior to confederation.
These treaties promoted peaceful coexistence and the sharing of resources. After Confederation, the European settlers pursued treaty making as a tool to acquire vast tracts of land. The numbered treaties 1 through 11 were concluded between First Nations and the Crown, after Confederation.
Some of the students were transfixed by the blanket ceremony. Far too many paid more attention to their cell phones as they texted each other.
For Indigenous peoples, treaties outline the rights and responsibilities of all parties to the agreement. In the traditions of Indigenous treaty making, these are oral agreements. In addition, they are “vital, living instruments of relationship”
In reading a Land Acknowledgement we are beginning to accept these rights and responsibilities.
An Infograph is a graph that conveys information in a more effective visual manner.
The Halton District School Board released an infograph that showed how poorly the Region does in terms of provincial grants for education.
No one at the Board of Education can say quite why the Region gets less on a per student basis than others – the fact is Halton, which is Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills get less.
The model used for school bus funding has not changed since 1998 which is what has led to the near crisis is recruiting bus drivers. The boards have not been able to pay the drivers a decent rate.
The funding shortfall impacts what the Board does at many levels – Special Education suffers; the Halton Board has to find $20 million to cover Special Education needs which are higher than the average student.
The needs are very real, unfortunately the local school boards are totally dependent on the province for a significant part of the funds needed to operate the schools.
Trustees and the Board administrations work to determine where the needed funds are going to come from at a time when we now have a provincial government that thinks aloud in terms of “efficiencies” and talks in terms of reducing spending by as much as 4% (at least that is what the public heard during the recent provincial election). Education and health are two of the biggest spending items in the provincial budget.
Just how provincial funding for school boards works isn’t fully understood by the public. Property taxes and development fees cover just a portion of the cost.
Because the funds come from the provincial government the Boards and trustees would like to see pressure put on the newly elected members of the provincial legislature. For Burlington this means appealing to Jane McKenna who has been returned to the Legislature. McKenna was first elected to Queen’s Park in 2011, lost to Eleanor McMahon in 2014 and defeated McMahon in the election held earlier this month.
During the election debates it was clear that McKenna was going to follow the path set out by Doug Ford who talks in terms of getting better value for the dollars spent. Burlington parents with children in local schools are the people who know where efficiencies exist.
Given that those same parents elected the government we have now – they have to live with the consequences of the election.
There are two problems with those conclusions. A majority of those who voted didn’t choose this government and just 58% of those with the right to vote bothered to troop out to the polls on election day.
Salt with Pepper is the musing, observations and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette.
Roger Wilkie has been named Halton Regional Police’s new deputy chief. He joins Deputy Chief Nishan (Nish) Duraiappah and Chief of Police Stephen Tanner as the Senior Command.
Roger Wilkie – new deputy chief.
The decision from the Halton Police Services Board comes after a comprehensive search which considered candidates from across Canada.
Wilkie, a 22-year veteran of the police service will make the jump from his role as superintendent.
Wilkie has served in uniform patrol, criminal investigations, drug enforcement, as a district commander, and most recently as the commander of human resources, training and the emergency services unit.
He also played a key leadership role in the development of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for the Region of Halton.
A member of the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) has been sentenced in relation to an earlier plea of guilty to the charge of Breach of Trust in connection by stealing and/or tampering with seized evidence.
Staff Sergeant Brad Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was sentenced to a conditional discharge with three years’ probation. Sentencing took place at the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on June 7, 2018.
Staff Sergeant Murray still faces discipline under the Police Services Act. Police Services Act proceedings arise out of the same facts that underlie the criminal charges that were laid against Murray in 2017.
“Staff Sergeant Murray remains suspended under the Police Services Act of Ontario, and that suspension is with pay (the only suspension currently allowed under the Act). The internal disciplinary process will now proceed. One of the possible outcomes as a result of the Police Services Act hearing process is dismissal from the service and termination of employment,” said Chief Stephen Tanner.
Murray pled guilty to one count of Breach of Trust in relation to thefts from the Service’s evidence vault.
Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was arrested on May 28, 2017 and charged with two counts of Breach of Trust, two counts of Theft Under, and one count of Obstruct Justice. These charges stemmed from an internal audit and a subsequent independent investigation into HRPS drug vault anomalies that occurred between August 2015 and April 2016
Murray was investigated by the Toronto Police Service and prosecuted by a Crown from outside of this jurisdiction to ensure a fair and independent assessment of the evidence.
Maria Richter, 94, died in hospital in the early afternoon yesterday of the injuries she suffered when struck by a pick-up truck at the intersection of New Street and Drury Lane
The investigation is ongoing and any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext:5065.
There is no information as to any charges being laid by the police.
Maria was seen often visiting the Burlington Handweavers and Spinners at the AGB when she was out and about.
She was one of the ladies that meet every Thursday at the Burlington Seniors Centre who knits and sews and donates everything to the Senior Centre. The group of women have over the years sold and donated thousands of dollars to the Centre. Maria was an independent woman who never let her age get in the way of doing anything.
A trade war between Canada and the USA is already here but according to at least one columnist help could be on the way. Apparently Kim Jung Un has offered his good offices to host peace talks between Canadian PM Trudeau and the US president. Kim was considered the evilest of evil until US president Donald Trump announced that he is a good guy after all, funny and strong, and someone who loves his starving oppressed people and is loved in turn.
Kim Jung Un with Donald Trump
Donald Trump wants to be known as a man of his word and true to his election promises. So he’s tearing up NAFTA through a series of small injuries – the ‘worst treaty yet’ along with the Paris Climate agreement and the Iran Nuclear deal. And Canada and Mexico are just chump change, small game in the foreground of his grander gun sights. Because America First is going to change the world – burying the notion of freer global trade big league, and bringing an end to globalization.
Trump and the latest incarnation of his inner cabinet are convinced that trade is only good when America exports more than it imports – the emperor’s new clothes. They’ve seen the equation used in standard economics text books and know that gross domestic product equals domestic consumption plus investment plus net exports. So all exports are good and all imports are bad. The Donald would know this too because he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics back in the ’60’s.
Of course the economics of trade is far more complicated than that, since, for example imported investment capital is far more valuable to an economy than imported consumer products. But complexities like that and philosophical theories like comparative advantage are the kinds of details that the bloody ‘elites’ like to toss around to show how smart they are. And by elites the Trumpeters mean anyone with more than a passing knowledge of anything besides… real estate deals. After all, it was the anti-elite crowd who elected him.
American President is known to chow down on junk food – McDonalds being a favourite.
Trump probably sees Canadian prime minster Trudeau as one of those elites. Though Trudeau, like Trump, hadn’t made it to Harvard his father did briefly. But Justin has that aura anyway, the stuff that elites are supposed to be made of – civility and culture, politeness and courtesy, and political diplomacy. He is so unlike the in-your-face, tweet-prone, American Big Mac – the US president. They do have drama in common – Trudeau as a teacher and Trump playing his best real life Willy Loman character from Arthur Miller’s classic, The Death of a Salesman.
Canada will not forfeit supply management for its dairy industry because Canadians know it is more sustainable than the American alternative of market distorting subsidies. The evidence is clear. We have stability and they have over-production and market chaos. Then they expect us to absorb their excess dairy products. Supply management is something which all Canadian political parties fully endorse, a policy initiated by Justin’s father almost half a century ago.
Canada has supply management in place which gives us price stability; the Americans have over-production and market chaos.
And it’s not like Trump cares a drop about the mainline dairy industry. He doesn’t even drink the stuff – he’s a raw milk guy. So why would he care about the conventional dairy folks wanting to dump their millions of gallons of subsidized milk in Canada, instead of their plowed fields? No, dairy is just a pretext for battle, and another nail in the NAFTA coffin.
If I were a betting man I’d put my money on NAFTA being relegated to the history books at least for rest of this generation. The new and substantial tariffs Trump is planning for the auto industry will be the coup de gras. Of course Canada’s foreign minister is hoping to seduce the US congressional types with her charm offensive, but the odds are not in her favour. The Republican Party is the party of Trump now, and he won’t be charmed.
This is a job for our own big guy, the PM. Some might think the emerging problem between the two men is lack of respect. Trump had said nice things about Trudeau in their earlier days, but then he also slobbered all over China’s leader Mr. Xi before slapping him with $50 billion dollars of tariffs. Despite their names both beginning with the letter T, they are different, One is old and messy the other young and fit, one opens the door for women to get catch up, the other just lusts over them.
And one is a true liberal while the other is neither that nor conservative – just a thug. Canada is a smaller economy and nation, and heavily dependent on the US for its trade and arguably its defence. So Trump’s ‘weak’ and ‘meek’ and ‘mild’ comments are likely more about the nation and not just its leader. One believes in climate change, the other believes in coal.
Trudeau showing some real strength.
Maybe it’s time for Mr. Trudeau to take a lesson from North Korea’s Kim and show some real strength. Perhaps he should bring in the TV camera’s and show off a newly installed big red button on his office desk. Justin should then brag about how much bigger it is than the one in the oval office, and that pressing it would release a barrage of nuclear missiles aimed at the White House, Mar-a-Lago and Trump Towers everywhere. But he’d be happy to meet in Singapore for a nuclear summit.
Of course none of that would be true. Canada hasn’t had a nuclear missile on its soil since former PM Diefenbaker sent the Bomarc’s back stateside in the sixties. But then when has telling the truth ever been important to America’s liar-in-chief, Mr. Fake News south of the border?
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. Tweet @rayzrivers
There are things other than the Sound of Music to attend. Why bother – there is so much going on at the bottom of the city – head for Lakeshore Road – just don’t bother looking for a parking space. Find a way to use public transit, bike (careful if you use New Street) or walk.
Here is what will be on the four stages today.
Besides the stages in Spencer Smith Park there are pods placed all over the downtown core that are worth dropping by for a listen.
Scroll on down and decide where you want to spend your time.
Mayoralty candidate Marianne Meed Ward is holding her first large fund raising event on June 21st at Joe Dogs on Brant Street – $25 at the door.
This is the first of what is expected to be numerous fundraiser, meet and greet and town hall events. “we’ll be everywhere “ said Meed Ward.
Invitation from the Mayor.
Mayor Rick Golding is launching his re-election campaign on June 26th from 6:00-8:00PM at Faraway Greens Indoor Golf Club on Mainway.
Goldring is hosting a BBQ, with music and lots of fun! “I would love for you all to hear about my plans for the next four years” said Goldring in a media release.
The event is complimentary, but “donations to the campaign are always welcomed and encouraged.”
Meed Ward expects to be allowed to spend around $100,000 – the precise amount is based on a formula based on using the number of voters to determine the amount.
“We will spend everything we raise. Individual limits are $1200 per person, to a single candidate.”
A person can contribute to more than one candidate to a combined total per donor per municipality of $5000.
No corporate, union donations allowed (a good thing); only individual contributions. Meed Ward said: “I will not be accepting personal donations from developers. I believe it’s important to keep a professional, arm’s length relationship with the development community given the issues around development in Burlington.
“You’ll see in my 2006, 2010 and 2014 municipal campaigns I did not accept any contributions from developers. The current mayor and other councillors did.
The Meed Ward said her campaign team is made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds from across the city and across the political spectrum.
Marianne Meed Ward promoting her fund raising event.
“We are not backed by any riding association, provincial/federal candidate or MP/MPP, and believe partisan politics have no place in municipal elections. We all set aside party politics and our team come together to work for the best interests of all the residents of Burlington. We are getting new volunteers every day, and welcome more people to join us!
“They can sign up at the campaign website here: https://mariannemeedward.ca”
Goldring’s campaign web site is at: https://www.rickgoldring.ca/
A neighbour, who has asked to remain anonymous, reports that Maria Richter was the 94 year old female who was hit by a pick-up truck at the intersection of New Street and Drury Lane earlier this week.
Neighbours spoke very fondly of Maria who lived on Lakeshore Road west of Brant and used a mobility scooter to get around the city.
The initial police investigation had the pick-up truck making a left turn and struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk. She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital by Halton Regional Paramedic Services with life threatening injuries.
The intersection was closed for approximately five hours for investigation.
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext: 5065.
Things just don’t happen – they don’t just fall off the back of a truck.
Someone has an idea, there is something someone wants to do.
Sometimes a person doesn’t like the way something is being done and they want to have it changed.
Other times people see an unfortunate situation and they want to make it better.
Burlington is a community with a lot of wealth. There are people who are not wealthy but overall the city is financially comfortable.
Some describe the city as complacent.
Others see something that isn’t happening and they think something should happen and they mobilize and make it happen.
Carie DeMunck
Carie DeMunck, a parent with children at the Pauline Johnson (PJ) public school, was touring the Frontenac public school that he daughter was to attend next year. Pauline John public school is a K to 8; Frontenac is a Middle school.
While touring Frontenac Carie learned that they had celebrated their 50th Anniversary in May of 2017
In September of 2017 Lori Waugh was appointed as the new school principal. She told the Parent Council meeting later that month that the school would celebrate their 50th anniversary the following year.
“Nobody really jumped on it” said Carie . “It was brought up again at the November Council meeting when the principal recommended putting a committee together to mark it in some way. It was then that we learned there were time capsules that were marked for opening, which the majority of us on Council, including myself, had been completely unaware of until that point.
“Initially we all shied away from it because we all knew what a big job it could be and the event /fundraising planning always seems to fall on the same four or five people. It’s difficult to get people on board and motivate parents to volunteer and be leaders within Council.
“By the November meeting I had already started looking up news articles for our school to see what was in the local history and general interest articles. That’s when I jumped in and said to myself – I’ll do it.”
Carie met with Dave Woodward, a 1968 staff member at PJ who returned to the school in the 70’s as principal.
Trips to the library to dig out whatever the Historical Society had on the school.
With her mind made up and he best friend beside her Carie headed for a meeting with the principal to sell the plan to her.
Carie DeMunck pointing o where the two time capsules were stored – no one knew.
With the concept thought through and the team in place Carie was ready to put it in front of principal Waugh.
I was thinking a formal assembly and tree planting was a fitting tribute especially for working in a time capsule reveal, and doing a public reunion on a Saturday which would require the principal to be totally on board.
Carie is one of those people who can use words to paint a picture.
“So picture this” she said. “Do you remember that picture of Merkel and Trump at the G7?
Well I was Merkel and Waugh is sitting there like Trump and we presented the ideas. I said I would run the whole thing and she said Ok.”
Chiefwoods the Pauline Johnson ancestral home.
She took her kids on a tour of Chiefwoods, the Pauline Johnson family home in Brantford to get a deeper idea as to just who Pauline Johnson was and came away with a much better understanding of just what Canada has in the way of an Indigenous population and how Canadians have related to them – not always that well.
The Indigenous people have been given a bad rap said Carie. “We need to open up our minds and become more aware of our colonial past and begin to collaborate with the First Nations.
Carie didn’t make the two day 50th anniversary celebration happen all by herself. Her 11 years on the school’s Parent Council meant she had all kinds of contacts and a network of her own she could call upon.
Along with principal Lorie Waugh and Parent Council Chairs, Patty Chanda and Jenn Cooper-Cabral stepped up when there was a need and ran the student volunteers and bought the cake and helped with decorating and attended all planning meetings.
“ Patty is my right hand, without being asked, she’s cool and collected, organized, doesn’t get her feathers ruffled, lets me vent to her when I’m frustrated, is highly objective, not overly opinionated, steps in when she sees a need, she doesn’t like the spotlight either.” The two have been close friends for 10 years.
Next for the team that made the celebration happen? Well all those posters and picture the students put together have to be put into a 50th anniversary time capsule to be opened on perhaps the 75th anniversary. Carie has found the containers she want to use. No stopping this lady.
Mary Alice St. James, retired Pauline Johnson public school principal.
Mary Alice St. James, a former and now retired PJ principal speaks glowingly of Carie DeMunck. “She epitomizes the positive impact of volunteerism in a school. With 17 years of involvement at PJ where she saw her three children Jessica (Nelson High School), Ryan (Frontenac Public School) and Emilie (Pauline Johnson Public School) pick up the first part of the education she made a positive difference. As a School Council Member Carie learned leadership skills that served her well as she coordinated Pauline Johnson’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
In a small neighbourhood school, volunteering is welcomed. It makes a huge difference. Carie liaised with many to begin and follow through with a vision of inclusion, involvement and reflection of the impact of life particularly in a small community has made to many over the past 50 years.
Carie humbly says that the successful two days of events are due to her team of parent volunteers, the PJ Staff current and past, the students and their families both current and past. True, everybody assisted BUT it was Carie who led the team, developed the vision and ensured its meaningfulness and celebratory feeling.
Yesterday morning there was a motor vehicle collision at the intersection New Street and Drury Lane in the City of Burlington.
The collision involved a pick-up truck and a 94 year old female pedestrian in a mobility scooter.
Initial investigation suggests that the pick-up truck was making a left turn and struck the pedestrian in the crosswalk. She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital by Halton Regional Paramedic Services with life threatening injuries.
The intersection was closed for approximately five hours for investigation.
Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police are asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 905 825-4747 ext: 5065.
Now that the province is beginning to get used to the Premier designate and the city can get on with enjoying the Sound of Music and weather that ranges from pleasant to stinking hot.
Next up is the municipal election that will take place October 22nd.
James Burchill, the lad that drives around town in a Smart Car getting out for coffee and a conversation.
He interviews all kinds of people including the three candidates for the Office of Mayor.
He did interviews of the current Mayor, Rick Goldring, then an interview with Mike Wallace, a former city Councillor and a former MP for Burlington.
The most recent, which is set out below for your viewing pleasure, is Burchill’s interview with Marianne Meed Ward.
Three very different people. We have provided links to the Goldring and Wallace interviews – gives you a chance to see who wants to lead the city. You are the one who gets to decide.
The 2018 election is going to be a lot different than the 2014 election when every member of the 2010 Council was returned to office.
Burchill has an easy, natural conversation style and lets the person being interviewed do the talking. Goldring and Wallace seemed a little apprehensive. My take on the Meed Ward interview is that Burchill was flirting with her – but have to be the judge of that.
Bookmark this story and come back to it in October. Which one do you think can best lead the city
By Pepper Parr
The province changed the rules about political campaign donations making it illegal to accept donations from corporations and unions. What the province wanted to end was a specific sector of the economy donating large sums of money to people running for council.
On June 18th 2018 investigators arrested Richard James BLASDELL (49-yrs) of Brantford for his involvement in these occurrences. He was released on a Promise to Appear in Milton Court on July 11th 2018 charged with the following offences:
“Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many First Nations and the Métis. From the Anishinaabeg to the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis – our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in Indigenous history. 
That’s the message Crime Stoppers of Halton is delivering to the public through a promotional campaign to help combat the distribution of illegally manufactured cigarettes.
Richmond also said an increasing number of fire deaths in Ontario are now being blamed on illegal cigarettes which are made without self-extinguishing safeguards.
Staff Sergeant Brad Murray, a 16-year-member of the Service, was sentenced to a conditional discharge with three years’ probation. Sentencing took place at the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on June 7, 2018.
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. Tweet @rayzrivers
