 By Staff
October 4th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The development planned on Caroline a block to the east of Brant Street will be the subject of Statutory meeting on November 5th, 2024.
 Rendering of the tower that will be located on Caroline one block eat of Brant Street. Development applications have been submitted for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment by Inaria Burlington Inc., for a 28-storey mixed use building with 302 residential units and a 6-storey above grade parking structure with a green roof adjacent to an existing 17-storey residential building bounded by Caroline Street, Elizabeth Street, Maria Street, and John Street.
This proposal has a background that is both disappointing and not what the public has a right to expect from the developers that want to change the skyline of the city.
Link here for background on this one.
The city has scheduled this event for 9:30 in the morning – not very convenient for those who work full time and are doing the event virtually. The days when the public could meet the developers at city hall and ask questions. This format lets the developer hide.
Why this Council tolerates this form of engagement is truly disturbing.
You might want to reach out to Mark Bales at 905-637-8888, ext. 214 or by email at: mark@carriagegate.ca
Note that Bales is a senior staff member at Carriage Gate, the people who built the tower opposite City Hall and are now putting up a 29 storey Tower on Pearl Street and have a development that is proposed for the eastern end of the football.
 Currently under construction at Pearl and north side of Lakeshore Road  Developer has situated the tower at the convergence of Old Lakeshore and Lakeshore Road
By Pepper Parr
October 4th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Oakville North Burlington Member of Parliament Pam Damoff stood in the House of Commons yesterday and said to the Speaker.
 Pam Damoff speaking in the House of Commons. Mr. Speaker, last month, I was thrilled to present the King Charles III Coronation Medal to 20 deserving individuals who have made significant contributions to their communities and to Canada.
Commemorating the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and his lifetime of committed service, these medals recognize outstanding Canadians of all ages, abilities and from all walks of life for their dedicated service to bettering their communities and the lives of others.
With so much negativity in the world today, it is important that we take time to celebrate the accomplishments of others and the positive impacts they make to their communities, our country and, in many cases, the world.
These individuals truly exemplify the values of service and selflessness, professionalism and commitment.
I congratulate all the deserving recipients of this honour. Our country is better because of them.
For the most part the comments were true and had merit.
What bothered many people was adding the Mayor of Burlington to the list of 20 people were “presented” with the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
 MP Damoff pictured with Mayor Meed Ward when she was “presented with the King Charles III Coronation Medal. Marianne Meed Ward holds both Canadian and American citizenship. Representing the people is the Mayor’s full time job for which she is well rewarded financially. Of late the reward from her constituents is much lower than it was when she was elected Mayor in 2018. Prior to that she was a very good Council member who brought the words transparency and accountability into the lexicon of the city and lived by it.
One can only hope that the practice of one politician presenting medals to another politician in the same city is something that doesn’t become a nice thing to do.
Politicians are in place to serve the public that elected them – they are not there to serve each other.
 By Pepper Parr
October 4th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Funding a Not for Profit is not easy.
Along with operating the organization and finding the money to pay those people who do the day to day work – they have to find donors – and that is not easy.
Mental Health has become a serious issue; helping people learn how to cope with their personal issues– the need for support is rising.
Eagles Nest, an organization that works out of a church on the border between Burlington and Waterdown has been serving anyone in the Region that needs help for a number of years.
They offer a selection of services that are priced well below the market rate.
 Amanda DeVries, Eagle Nest Executive Director – trying to stay dry under a leaking tent What allows them to do that is a collection of donors who gathered at Shy’s Restaurant to in Waterdown recently. Despite the rain a good crowd showed up for a quiet evening where people gathered to meet with and talk to other people about what the organization was doing.
There wasn’t much room to move around – the place was full.
There were two elected officials – no speeches – they were just acknowledged.
The rain didn’t lessen up; the tent that covered the deck leaked – didn’t matter – no one was leaving early.
The food – innovative would be a nice way to describe it. Those attending – close to 80 – maybe more was my count.
 Candles provided the illumination for parts of the evening creating a quiet peaceful place. People got to mingle – I sat at a table with people I’d never met and learned that the Mother of a family made up of her three children and two children adopted from China and two people adopted from Africa. Fascinating to listen to how the family grew.
Tables were set out in three different parts of the restaurant. Many of the participants sat with friends other chose a table to sit at and spend the evening with people who were deeply committed to the work Eagles Nest was doing.
 The letter included in this article was handed out to people during the evening.
Other than maybe five minutes – not more than ten – there were no speeches, no pleas for funding. Everyone attending was either a staff member or a donor – more of the latter than the former.
It is organizations like this that do the work governments have decided they cannot do.
The evening was titled “Embracing Change for Good”; they raised more than $22,000 for local, accessible, mental health services.
These funds will help provide adults, youth and children fully subsidized or low-cost mental health services like counselling, coaching and therapeutic programs.
The Eagles Nest web site sets out what they do and how they operate. If you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues direct them to the Eagles Nest web site – here is the link.
 By Pepper Parr
October 4th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 The City’s Chief Administrative Officer had said that data on just what happened during the July flood and what the costs for flood mitigation going forward might be would be presented to Council during the October cycle – that has been moved to November We learned yesterday that the reports on how the July Flooding were going to impact the 2025 budget, expected in October, will not get to Council until the November cycle of Committee of the Whole meetings.
In November the Flood Hazard Impacts and Mitigation Assessment and the July 15th storm event and response update will be presented.
This is going to take place at around the same time the Mayor will release a proposed Budget to City Council.
It is very hard to fully understand how the Mayor is going to table a report that doesn’t have all the data that is relevant.
For the past three weeks the Mayor has been meeting with citizens in each ward looking for feedback on the budget knowing that critical data is not available.
 We know that the on November 4, Mayor Meed Ward will release her proposed Budget to Burlington City Council.
On November 7, 2024 – Telephone Budget Town Hall hosted by Mayor Meed Ward – it will run from 7:00- 8:30 p.m.
Members of Council have until November 11, to propose amendments to Proposed Budget
November 18 & 21, Committee of the Whole will review of Proposed Budget amendments proposed via Motion Memorandum process
 Attendance at Mayor’s firs budget meeting was sparse – information was non existent. November 25, Council will review the Proposed Budget and at that time decide on what the tax increase for 2025 will amount to.
It is a very tight schedule that was put in place by the province when Strong Mayor powers were declared by the province.
The most essential part of the budget creation process is public engagement – with all the data being used available. This looks like another one of those situations where the city is determined to be able to say that the public was engaged, while knowing that the public did not have all the facts.
 By Pepper Parr
October 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Word on the street is that there is an individual taking a hard look at running for Mayor of Burlington.
No details yet but the source is as good as they get.
Male – with a solid business background. No council experience, never been involved in politics at any level.
Just said to think that Burlington needs better political leadership.
There is a growing number of people who want to see a change in the political leadership of the current city council; many are unhappy with several members of this council including those who were aghast with the totally irresponsible video that Councillors Galbraith and Nisan let themselves get sucked into on the Alinea King Road development.
We don’t know if the developer asked the two to take part in the video; we don’t know if they saw the less than a minute long production before it was shown at a Bay Area Climate Change Council event – perhaps they volunteered thinking it would be a good idea to boost a development that is certainly going to make a difference to the Burlington that will exist a decade from now.
What Galbraith and Nisan didn’t appear to know is that there job is to oversee developments that go to Council and wait until all the facts are known. At this point the city has yet to see a development application.
 By Pepper Parr
October 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
We learned this morning that the reports on how the July Flooding were going to impact the 2025 budget, expected in October, will not get to Council until the November cycle of Committee of the Whole meetings.
 Flood waters running out of community and on to the 407 Hwy. In November the Flood Hazard Impacts and Mitigation Assessment and the July 15th storm event and response update will be presented.
This is going to take place at around the same time the Mayor will release a proposed Budget to City Council.
It is very hard to fully understand how the Mayor is going to table a budget report that doesn’t have all the data that is relevant. There will not have been any opportunity for the public to delegate – perhaps that’s the intent?
For the past three weeks the Mayor has been meeting with citizens in each ward looking for feedback on the budget knowing that critical data is not available.
We know that the on November 4, Mayor Meed Ward will release her proposed Budget to Burlington City Council.
On November 7, 2024 – Telephone Budget Town Hall hosted by Mayor Meed Ward – it will run from 7:00- 8:30 p.m.
Members of Council have until November 11, to propose amendments to Proposed Budget
November 18 & 21, Committee of the Whole will review of Proposed Budget amendments proposed via Motion Memorandum process
November 25, Council will review the Proposed Budget and at that time decide on what the tax increase for 2025 will amount to.
It is a very tight schedule that was put in place by the province when Strong Mayor powers were declared by the province.
The most essential part of the budget creation process is public engagement – with all the data available. This looks like another one of those situations where the city is determined to be able to say that the public was engaged knowing that they did not have all the facts.
By Staff
October 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The CUPE Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) and Ontario Health Coalition are kicking off a Trojan Horse tour this Friday at Queen’s Park, to protest the Ford government’s privatization of public hospital services.
 A 15-foot replica of a Trojan Horse will travel to media conferences around the province. The Tour will be in Burlington on October 11th, Joseph Brant Hospital 9:00-10:00am and at the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (9:00-10:00am), then the Hamilton General Hospital (11:30am-1:00pm) and the McMaster Children’s Hospital (3:00-4:00pm) all on October 15th.
CUPE, the union and the Ontario Health Coalition maintain the Ford government is privatizing surgeries by taking public funding and staff away from public hospitals to for-profit clinics which only makes wait times worse. Not only do these clinics cost more, but they illegally and unlawfully charge patients thousands of dollars for medically necessary care. To represent the false claim that privatizating surgeries will reduce wait times in public hospitals, a 15-foot replica of a Trojan Horse will travel around to media conferences around the province.
The list of dates and locations can be found below
11-Oct Joseph Brant Hospital (9:00-10:00am)
15-Oct St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (9:00-10:00am) + Hamilton General Hospital (11:30am-1:00pm)
McMaster Children’s Hospital (3:00-4:00pm)
By Staff
October 3rd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Royal Bank of Canada has created a security Index – the results suggest far too many Canadians are being careless with the amount of information they make available to people when they are online.
 Once you enter data when you are using the internet – that data becomes available to thieves who access the data and use it to steal from you. Strong passwords keep these thieves away from your information. Despite awareness of cyber best practices, many Canadians are still putting themselves at risk online, according to a new RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) survey, which found that two-in-five Canadians (38%) qualify as moderate to high-risk potential for becoming victims of cyber-attacks.
RBC’s new Cyber Safety Index reviewed how often Canadians engage in certain behaviours online. While the majority practice at least some good cyber hygiene, less than half say they always use all of the recommended online safety behaviours, which include keeping their software and operating systems updated (71%), using two-factor authentication/verification on online banking accounts (67%), enabling privacy and security settings on all devices (65%) and limiting who follows them on social media (63%). Less than a third (30%) always or often use virtual private networks (VPN) when surfing public Wi-Fi; or password generators to create secure, random passwords for online accounts (28%), leaving considerable room to improve across the board.
 ”
The responses to our Cyber Safety Index show that while many Canadians are aware of things they can do to be safer online, there’s still opportunities for them to change behaviours and close that risk gap,” said Adam Evans, chief information security officer at RBC. “At RBC, we’re focused on providing Canadians with the practical tips and education they need to take control of their online safety and mitigate risks in an ever-evolving digital world.”
On the flip side, many Canadians are also participating in risky online activities that could further increase the potential of exposure to cyber-attacks. Within the past year, over three-quarters (77%) have knowingly or accidentally engaged in at least one risky online behaviour, with the most commonly reported being using public Wi-Fi (49%). Others include consenting to share their personal information when asked (27%), clicking on pop-up ads (19%), visiting unsecure websites (18%) and ignoring privacy settings on social media platforms (13%).
Furthermore, over a third (35%) agree they have used the same password(s) across multiple platforms, and nearly as many are more concerned about missing out on exclusive events/activities than disclosing personal information online (32%), and/or have interacted with unsolicited texts or social media messages (31%).
The vast majority of Canadians said they are concerned about being victimized by online fraud (80%), identity theft (84%), corporate data breaches (79%), being hacked (84%), and/or experiencing unauthorized access to their online accounts (87%),
However, significantly fewer feel safe engaging in social media activities (69%; -7 pts) compared to 2023.
Fortunately, a growing proportion of Canadians (85%; +3 points) say they are comfortable learning new ways to protect their online information compared to last year, underscoring the importance of ongoing education and support to help them navigate the digital landscape safely and effectively.
RBC offers the following tips:
Limit the information you share on social platforms. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know, and even if the privacy settings on your accounts are enabled, try to limit what you share online to avoid scams like spear-phishing.
Keep your financial information safe. Never log in to online banking using a link sent through email, text message, or social media. Instead, type the address into your browser. Clear your browser’s memory cache regularly to improve security.
Be vigilant when shopping online. Look for the little padlock icon to the left of the URL bar and ensure the website you’re visiting has an address that begins with “https.” Read reviews before you buy to ensure they’re legitimate and trustworthy businesses.
Create long, strong passwords. Always use the maximum password length allowed and aim for at least 16 characters. Longer is better, like “passphrases” made of randomly chosen words, that can be easy to remember and hard for someone else to guess.
By Staff
October 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s time for TeenTober!
 TeenTober time – all of October Celebrated by libraries every October, TeenTober aims to recognize teens and promote year-round library services. We’re celebrating with a number of programs just for teens, focusing on helping build the skills that will support their goals for the future.
Programs for Teens in October
Some programs require registration; all programs are FREE.
Good Debt versus Bad Debt
Get savvy about spending! Hear what financial experts have to say about the pros and cons of credit cards. You’ll leave this session with a good understanding of the differences between good debt and bad debt and handy tips on how to manage debt responsibly.
Thu Oct 3 | 7-8pm | VIRTUAL – Register
Make Your Own Mini-Zine
Use drawing, writing, and collage to create your own zine. In this hands-on art class, learn how to fold and cut an 8-page zine using printer paper. Fill the pages with whatever you like—poems, stories, pictures—and then make a copy to share and trade with your friends.
Sat Oct 12 | 2-3:30pm | ALTON – Register
Book Bites
Book Bites is a NEW monthly drop-in meetup just for teens, launching in October! No need to register, just come and tell us about what you’ve been reading! Haven’t had time to read? Join us to hear about the books others are reading. There’s always something new to discover!
Wed Oct 16 | 7-8pm | TANSLEY WOODS
Mon Oct 21 | 3-3:45pm | ALTON
Tue Oct 29 | 7-8pm | CENTRAL
Entrepreneurship for Teens
Are you a teen with big ideas and the drive to make them a reality? Ignite your entrepreneurial spirit with this engaging workshop. Whether you dream of starting your own business or want to learn the skills that successful entrepreneurs use every day, this session is for you.
Thu Oct 17 | 6-7pm | VIRTUAL – Register
By Staff
October 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
 Results released from the Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) show Halton District School Board (HDSB) Grade 3, Grade 6 and Grade 9 students perform above the provincial average based on assessments completed in the 2023-2024 school year.
These results demonstrate that HDSB students are well above the provincial standard (Level 3 and 4, or a B grade or above) in Grade 3 and Grade 6 Reading and Writing, as well as Grade 9 Mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (Grade 10).
Grade 3 results
In Grade 3 Mathematics, 69 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Math exceeded the provincial average by eight per cent.
 With this kind of activity no wonder the ranking is above 77% In Grade 3 Reading, 77 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Reading exceeded the provincial average by six per cent.
In Grade 3 Writing, 71 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Writing exceeded the provincial average by seven per cent.
Grade 6 results
 Teaching math has always been a challenge. The subject is not one that the average student gets excited about. The difference in my experience is the teacher. I recall so very vividly the teacher tell me that he was going to teach me how to find two unknowns in an algebra class. I was hooked In Grade 6 Mathematics, 62 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Math exceeded the provincial average by 12 per cent.
In Grade 6 Reading, 88 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Reading exceeded the provincial average by six per cent.
In Grade 6 Writing, 87 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Writing exceeded the provincial average by seven per cent.
Grade 9 results Mathematics
In Grade 9, 70 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the provincial standards. The percentage of HDSB students who achieved level 3 or 4 in Math exceeded the provincial average by 16 per cent.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
In the Grade 10 OSSLT, 92 per cent of HDSB students met or exceeded the requirements, exceeding the provincial average by seven per cent.
EQAO assessment results expand upon the current knowledge about student learning, and serve as an important tool for improvement at the individual, school, school board and provincial levels. The Board uses this data at the school and Board level, along with a variety of other student assessment data, to focus efforts toward continuously improving student achievement.
HDSB 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan
The 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan (MYP) that lays out five areas of focus, with the overall purpose of setting direction and prioritizing the collective actions of all stakeholders to ensure our efforts as an organization are aligned and coordinated to support the more than 65,000 students, 11,000 staff and the broader HDSB community.
HDSB staff told the Gazette that “Earlier this year, students, parents/guardians, staff and community members were invited to share their thoughts and identify areas of focus for the HDSB’s 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan through community engagement sessions and an online questionnaire.
“We heard from more than 3,000 parents, guardians, caregivers, students, teachers, school staff, administrators, trustees, senior leaders, community partners, organizations, and members through various methods including focus groups, world café-style town halls, interviews and surveys.
“Trustees are in the process of finalizing the new Multi-Year Strategic Plan with the goal of approving it later this fall.”
 Interesting to note that there isn’t much about the fundamentals: Reading, Writing, Math and Science. The province has changed where they want to focus. We will watch to see how the HDSB reacts to the changes called for at the provincial level. Background resources
Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) Curriculum
2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan
By Staff
October 1st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, issued the following statement on increasing the province’s minimum wage:
“Today, the general minimum wage in Ontario increases from $16.55 per hour to $17.20, helping nearly one million workers earn more money for themselves and their families.
 Minister David Piccini Is Minister Piccini not embarrassed – he should have said: “I’m sorry – this is the best I can do.
He goes on to say: Ontario’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country. This 3.9 per cent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index, meaning that a worker making the general minimum wage over a 40-hour work week will have up to $1,355 more in their pockets every year. Our fair and balanced approach makes things predictable for both workers and businesses.
There is nothing fair or balanced about the new minimum wage – it might be acceptable for high school students who work after school and on weekends but a university student can’t work and set aside funds for the school year.
 Communities hold food drives and ship what they have collected to a Food Bank. We now know why there are more than a million people having to use Food Banks on a regular basis.
Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is committed to working for workers and supporting them as we continue to build a strong Ontario with a resilient economy.
“We also know” said the Minister that “ minimum wage jobs should be a starting point, not an endpoint” – but in reality it is the wage level far too many people working full time are at.
 By Staff
October 2nd, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It is an opinion – nothing more than that.
An opinion that is supported by significant polling data which Tom Parkin uses to come to the conclusion that ” an “inevitable Liberal loss is no longer an inevitable Conservative win. For those of us who want Pierre Poilievre to never become prime minister of Canada, there’s some excellent news today.
“Polls from Abacus, Nanos and Mainstreet released this week show the federal NDP overtaking the Liberals. All three pollsters show the Liberals at their lowest level of support since the 2021 election and the NDP in territory they have never or rarely touched since the last vote.
New framing creates pathway to stop Poilievre
“Polls showing the NDP on the upswing and the Liberals on their way out start an important reframing of the next election.
“It’s a new frame Pierre Poilievre won’t like because it removes his preferred enemy and ends the inevitability of his win.
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre “As long as the next election was perceived as a battle between the Trudeau Liberals and the Poilievre Conservatives, a Conservative win remained as inevitable as the Liberal loss.
“The reason Poilievre is prime minister-in-waiting is not because his Conservatives are so liked but because the Trudeau Liberals are so disliked. The Conservatives prefer a battle framed as Poilievre versus Trudeau because it ensures they can rely on the large anti-Liberal vote rallying behind them for the win.
“A contest perceived as a battle between Singh and Poilievre is on much less certain ground. Conservatives lose the advantage of fighting the hated Liberals. And they face a new opponent also able to appeal to anti-Liberal voters.
Advancing the plot of the Singh-Poilievre competition
“To both coalesce the anti-Conservative vote and erode Conservative support, the NDP will no doubt attack Poilievre where is out of step with mainstream Canadian opinion and values.
“Look for Singh to talk about Conservatives cutting people’s dental care and pharmacare and point at Poilievre’s lack of climate policy. Singh may also pique memories about past Conservative cuts to veterans’ services, seniors’ pensions and health care transfers.
“The NDP may also point out that Poilievre loudly proclaims his goal to eliminate the $40 billion deficit but keeps his cuts plan quiet.
“The NDP must also reduce its vulnerabilities. Fresh policy can make it more difficult for Conservatives to cast Singh as Trudeau 2.0. And ideally, new stances will bait the Conservatives into showing they would be, like the Liberals were, unwilling to put Canadians first because they are too beholden to corporate interests.
 NDP leader Jagmeet Singh “The path to stopping Poilievre is a tough one. But Singh has already done something few junior partners in a coalition or supply deal have been able to do: emerge stronger.
“Two years ago New Democrats were told that was impossible. Now New Democrats will be told the next step is impossible. Hopefully the final step is when Poilievre asks his campaign team what went wrong.”
Jagmeet Singh must be wondering what he needs to do next.
Tom Parkin is a social democratic columnist and commentator based in Toronto who has worked for the NDP in Saskatchewan and Ontario.
 By Pepper Parr
October 1st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It was once a delightful little Café where the food was nice and the surroundings were what you would expect in a small town. Burlington however was a city and development was going to change things.
 The site was acquired by a developer who managed to get approval for a 29 storey tower providing the heritage building was made part of the development.
The best heritage advocates were able to keep was the front of the building that was going to be tucked into the tower at the ground level – right next to the garage entrance and exit on Pearle Street. Garbage trucks will drive in and have to back out onto the street. Better than nothing? Probably.
 The front half of the building sits on blocks. It will eventually be rolled back into the structure now under construction and turned into two housing units that will have their own entrances at street level. If done properly it could be integrated into the tower. Has enough heritage been saved?
By Pepper Parr
October 1st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Has the change to having staff return to the office begun?
Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy just became the latest high-profile boss to insist that workers in the head office return to the their desks five days a week, most weeks (with exceptions for problems at home, work travel and the occasional need to work with zero distractions).
 This is just a rendering of the new look of the ground floor of City Hall. During the past three months on those occasions the Gazette has been at city hall it has been close to empty except for the few people city at desks in the Service area. The announcement sparked shock and outrage among many Amazon employees — and a wider fear that this could herald a rethink of remote work at other companies. In reality, it does signal a turning point for American workers.
The best job market of many people’s lifetime is over. Going forward, workers and job seekers will have less bargaining power in most industries, and this will affect their pay and perks. But it doesn’t mean that there will be a rush to follow Amazon’s lead. Five-day mandates run the risk of backfiring, because star workers will be given an excuse to look for new jobs.
What will this mean for Burlington? Will staff return to their offices?
The pandemic meant that having people work from their homes was necessary – the pandemic is over but staff liked the hybrid arrangement – it certainly changed the life/work balance.
Jassy believes that getting workers back together full-time is necessary to maintain office culture and enhance productivity. Research on working from home shows that the jury is still out. Mark Ma, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh, has studied this issue extensively. He told me, “Five days a week in the office is unnecessary for productivity.”
 City Staff during a BBQ day The federal government is having serious problems getting people back to the office – insisting on three days at the office is proving to be difficult.
The millions being spent on changing the entrance to city hall and renovating Civic Square is not seen as a needed change by many – just what is the purpose of a City Hall and is the one we have going to serve the public well for the next two decades ?
Long term in the view of the Gazette is that there will be a new city hall in a different location eventually.
By Pepper Parr
September 30th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
What is the Alinea Corporation?
The biggest land owner in the Region with huge holding in Hamilton and Waterdown.
 Lou Frapporti – lawyer and advisor to the Alinea Land Corporation At the moment they are focused on the King Road development which has huge potential. Lou Frapporti, a lawyer with Gowlings is the lead speaker for Alinea . He comes close to walking on water for the corporation.
 Pat Paletta and his four sons: Angelo, Paul, Michael and Remi Paul Paletta is the President of Alinea ; a number of years ago there was a difference between Paul and Angelo, two of the four brothers who are part of the family. When Pat Paletta died on February 6th, in his 88th year, the differences began to come to the surface.
Paul’s skills began to become evident resulting in a finely tunes group that includes Dave Pitblado who does a lot of the essential on the ground work. He is overseeing the rehabilitation of what was once the head office of Paletta International that was seriously damaged in the December 6th, 2017 fire.
 Engineers have stripped away what was left of the front of the then head office of Paletta International as they prepare to put in new offices and redevelop the 18 acre site. Fraporti recently got two members of council to sing their praises for the King Road development – many thought that the members of Council were in place to protect the interests of the city and to give close gimlet eyed look at every development: the bigger the development the more detailed the look.
Council members are required to withhold their views and opinion until all the evidence is in place.
The Alinea holdings are extensive. Shown below are some of the properties that are in various stages of development.
 From the left: Waterdown where single family homes are part of a large development; 1200 King Road where the holding are between 403 and the Rail lines – they extend to the Aldershot GO station; Eagle Height, a development that has been on hold for decades; Bronte Meadows which will probably be the first of these four holdings that are in Burlington to be developed. There are reasons to believe that partnerships on what will be built are already in place.  A development the community had little in the way of appetite for. These are important developments. Added to those already mentioned there is a development proposal on Fairview that stunned area residents when the saw the very rough, somewhat limited renderings. The event drew very negative responses. The impression seemed to be Alinea trying out a development possibility and seeing what the public reaction was – it wasn’t very good and will probably not proceed as it was presented – but Alinea owns the land and the city needs housing.
This one, located in ward 4, needs a close eye.
Related news story:
The monster of a development in ward 4
By Staff
September 30th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
BRAG, a newly formed citizen action group has thrown down a gauntlet and let the city know what they exist and what they plan to do – then set out the ideals they are committed to. They don’t pussy foot around.
They have moved away from the zero tax increase they originally called for – now nothing more than inflation is acceptable.
They are very tough on citizen engagement – something the Gazette has been hammering away at for more than 10 years.
They want the Strong Mayor powers Mayor Meed Ward has rescinded – existing provincial legislation would not allow that change.
Interestingly they made no mention of the Bateman High school re-purposing situation. No mention either on what the City can and cannot do with developments that are taken to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Set out below are the values BRAG published on Saturday.
 Something to BRAG about. The Burlington Residents’ Action Group (“BRAG”) is deeply committed to actively promoting certain policy initiatives that align with our overall goal of promoting a safe, secure and sustainable future for all residents. To that end, we are committed to the following ideals:
Responsible Financial Management:
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- The actual tax increases in the last 3 years have been excessive, and we believe these were too high. Consequently, we are calling for the following:
- A clear and transparent budget process that provides for line-by-line budgets that reflect where tax dollars are being spent;
- Establishment and management of a website that accurately depicts actual spending year to date in relation to the approved budget;
- Municipal tax increases should not exceed the rate of inflation;
- Funding for emergencies and extraordinary expenses should be provided through the allocation of reserve monies or time-limited tax levies that expire once the problem has been corrected;
- Elimination of vanity projects such as Love Your Neighbour, mundialization, the upcoming trip to Japan, drones and art for public buildings;
- More stringent funding criteria for special events, social causes and not-for-profit organizations;
- A three year hiring freeze;
- Prioritization of the maintenance of existing physical assets over the tearing down and reconstruction of existing facilities.
- We strongly maintain that Council should undertake more of an effort to reign in discretionary spending.
Flood Mitigation:
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- We support the development of a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy that focuses on better advance communication of impending severe climatic events, regular inspection and clearing of storm drains and creeks, upgrades to existing storm and wastewater systems, identification and opening of release catch basins in established neighbourhoods, and more direct interaction and consultation by City staff with homeowners impacted by the July 2024 flood.
- We believe a proactive approach to flood mitigation will be more cost-effective for everyone. Existing infrastructure must be kept free of debris and improved where required.
Environmental Sustainability:
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- We maintain that there is a direct correlation between population intensification and environmental degradation. To that end, we believe the City should reject further massive development projects such as Appleby/Fairview and 1200 King Road on the grounds that these projects present significant flooding risks and negatively impact the surrounding greenspaces.
- We believe that positive measures to address climate change should focus on enhanced tree planting, broader use and application of permeable concrete, and widespread adoption of bioswales.
- We believe the expenditure of public funds on environmental conferences, seminars and such is both wasteful and unnecessary. We know there is a climate emergency, and these public funds should be directed toward addressing the city’s carbon emissions and other issues under the city’s control.
- We believe a paperless option for our tax bills and other communications from the city is long overdue.
Traffic Congestion:
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- We support better traffic light timing measures, and not just for buses. Traffic congestion has a direct impact on the quality of our lives and the climate.
- We support the restoration of two-lane traffic in both directions on Appleby, Walkers and Guelph Lines south of New Street.
- We believe the City should investigate bus cut-in or queue jump lanes on Fairview Street similar to what exists in Mississauga on Burnhamthorpe Road.
- We support the restoration of two-lane traffic on Lakeshore Road west of Brant Street. Do we want to add that the restaurant patios on Lakeshore Road should be eliminated – they already have large patios between their doors and the sidewalk, they don’t need to take a lane of roadway as well.
- Other cities have strict rules against developers taking over lanes of roads and pedestrian sidewalks while building their condos for years.
- We believe that continued intensification without road widening will result in a grid-locked and unlivable city.
Development:
Stong Mayor Powers:
We believe the Strong Mayor Powers that were adopted by the Mayor in 2023 are antithetical to the principles of a fair and democratic government, as well as community engagement. We believe this authority should be rescinded.
Community Engagement:
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 Burlington has always had a small group of citizens who get out to public meetings to review budgets, policy proposals and share ideas. The city stopped this type of meeting when Meed Ward became Mayor. We feel that the City’s Charter of Engagement doesn’t need to be rewritten so much as it needs to be followed by council. The current review of the engagement charter is taking an inordinate amount of time and money with three staff members working on this project for what is now two years and counting, multiple surveys, advertisements, public sessions, and continual delays. We believe the Mayor and Councillors should proactively commit to following the principles of consultation, and to follow the Charter of Engagement going forward.
- We believe the previous practice of semi-annual City-wide and monthly Ward Town Halls should be reinstated.
- We do not consider having council members meet with members of the public – usually one-on-one – in food courts or other such places, to be proper engagement. Council members should hold proper meetings in city facilities where the audience can hear all other attendees’ questions and the answers, and attendees do not feel like random customers in the mall are listening to what they have to say. Meetings should have an agenda and an open question and answer period, and the council member should be accountable for the answers he or she provides to the group at large.
- We believe that all engagement must include associated costs, including the cost of staff time.
- We believe tax increases must be stated in terms of the Burlington portion of the tax bill and the overall impact on the total bill when combined with the Halton and Education. The council’s current practice of stating the “impact” is misleading and doesn’t match the actual increase that people are seeing on line 1, the municipal line, on their tax bills.
“…..Pierre Poilievre’s recent remarks that the tax, when fully implemented, would lead to a “nuclear winter” of “mass hunger and malnutrition,” a dystopian nightmare in which seniors are forced to turn their thermostats down to 13 C and people are left unable “to leave their homes or drive anywhere,” could have been reported straight-up, and not as lunatic hyperbole, wholly unworthy of a supposed prime-minister-in-waiting.” (Andrew Coyne, Globe and Mail – Sept 20,2024)
By Ray Rivers
September 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
For over a year now Mr. Poilievre has been ranting on and outright lying about carbon pricing. Ignoring the economic benefit of the climate rebate is not an accidental omission; dare I say, it’s a Trump-like strategy. Poilievre, like the US former president, clearly believes that if your repeat a lie often enough and loud enough people will believe it. And looking at the polls it seems to be doing just that.
I had a phone call earlier in the week from a Tory campaigner whose first utterance was that I should support Mr. Poilievre because as prime minister he will axe the tax. I politely pointed out that I drive an electric car and that carbon credit deposit the government sends to my bank account each quarter helps to pay it off. That is why we have carbon pricing right?
Mr. Coyne states it clearly. ”….not only is the carbon tax more efficient than alternatives, but it is also more fair. Indeed, if we are so foolish as to scrap it, having already gone to the trouble and expense of implementing it, most households will be made worse off, since they lose more by eliminating the rebate than they gain from eliminating the tax”.
 Pierre Poilievre Graphic taken from the Walrus magazine This is not the first time Mr. Poilievre (PP) has got simple economics wrong. He swore up and down that the real reason for the spike in prices immediately following the pandemic had to do with the size of the federal deficit and debt, rather than supply issues, price gouging or pent-up demand. In fact both the deficit and the debt have continued their path since then, but inflation has dramatically dropped from a high of 8% to a near normal 2% today. Had PP been PM and cut program spending as he demanded Trudeau to do, that would have just led to higher unemployment and lower growth.
Carbon pricing is one of the tools which Canada is hoping will help us meet our legally binding emissions reduction targets that we agreed to in the Paris Climate Agreement. And, yes Mr. Poilievre, there are opportunities to cut federal spending which would also help us meet those Paris carbon targets. Ottawa could once and for all stop subsidizing the oil and gas companies responsible for global warming.
 Renewable energy – Of course that would not please the significant base of anti-Liberal voters in petroleum rich Alberta and Saskatchewan. But it would be the right move, even for them, from a longer term perspective. And on the provincial front, one has to wonder why Ontario’s Mr. Ford is pushing pricey natural gas powered electricity production when the lowest cost sources of electricity anywhere today, according to a recent UN report, is renewable energy.
Speaking of Mr. Ford, it’s worth noting that not all Tories have the same passion we hear from PP when it comes to controlling the budget. The normally Tory friendly Fraser Institute has continued it’s ongoing criticism of Mr. Ford’s government, calling out Mr. Ford’s as one of the highest spending governments in the province’s history. “At every turn the Ford government has demonstrated that it’s an irresponsible steward of Ontario’s finances. The official 2023/24 spending numbers are simply the latest example.”
There is good reason why Ford has ticked off the Fraser stalwarts. Mr Ford is consumed by costly, almost psychedelic, pipe dreams. Needlessly tearing down and then rebuilding the Science Centre is an example. Another is the construction of his 413 superhighway, which is not yet even costed and promises to benefit only a handful of commuters and some friendly land developers. The latest brain burp takes the icing on the cake, however – a 50 km tunnel under the busiest highway in Canada – the 401.
 Premier Doug Ford and his Minister of Finance strutting into the Legislature with the budget document in hand Oh, then there is the economically reckless and self-serving corner store beer-gate. The opposition parties estimate it might end up costing a billion dollars to break the contract with the Beer Store just so Ford can say he’s put booze in corner stores before an expected provincial election this coming spring.
That contract would have expired next year anyway – and without penalty. Besides, it is difficult to understand why Ford, a non-drinker, would be so anxious to expand alcohol consumption given what we know about alcohol use and cancer.
I briefly made an appearance at the Ontario Liberal annual meeting in London last weekend where over a thousand people came together to discuss policy.
Former federal health minster Jane Philpott who presented her vision of primary health reform for Ontario was a keynote speaker. I also attended the session on economics and was impressed with Liberal finance critic Stephanie Bowman, a former accountant and banker, who chaired a session with some very talented panelists.
 Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie It’s clear that the provincial Liberals will be focusing their next campaign on economic growth and tax policy, with the middle class most clearly in their sights. But let’s not fool ourselves. That is no guarantee that the provincial Liberals won’t also be called out by the Fraser folks should they form the next government and run deficits.
Still, should they win, we can hope that Premier Crombie would be less consumed by the kind of pie-in-the-sky fantasies that has Mr. Ford frothing at the mouth.
 Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
Background links:
Carbon Pricing Andrew Coyne Renewable Energy Federal Subsidies Fraser Institute
Driving Down the Wrong Road Ford’s Billion Dollar Booze Up Alcohol and Cancer Liberal Finance Critic
 By Staff
September 28th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
East Plains United Church invites the public to attend a special Sunday service on September 29th at 2pm to celebrate our church becoming an Affirming Ministry. Rev. Jackie Burnie will be the guest speaker, and A La Mode Vocal Ensemble will sing. Light refreshments will be served following the service.
 East Plains United Church The public is invited to join in the Sunday celebration of the completion of all the requirements of Affirm United and the achievement of our community’s goal to live out our Affirming Mission Statement:
“We celebrate the richness of our community when we have diverseness in age, identity, racial/cultural backgrounds, economics, class, sexual orientation, and family configurations fully participating in all aspects of the life and work at our church. We commit to continuing education to promote understanding and create a safe environment for all.”
The service will take place at 2:00 pm on the 29th
 By Pepper Parr
September 27th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
So just what does the House Leader do? Is there a job description?
Last week Burlington MP Karina Gould stood up for the government – that’s part of her job.
Here is what she had to say on Friday.
 Karina Gould sitting in the House of Commons while then United States President Obama addresses a joint session. Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. I consider him a very honourable member, and for that very reason, I cannot understand why he is telling only half the truth when he talks about the price on pollution.
As a member from Quebec, he knows full well that this does not apply to Quebec.
Why will he not be honest with Quebeckers about the actual policy?
Why does he keep repeating the same comments as his leader, who is not being honest with Canadians?
Later the same day she spoke about the Business of Supply
Madam Speaker, it is a little awkward that we are here again today, just a few hours after the House voted non-confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, but here we are. It is a little awkward because there is only one party in the House that does not want to work for Canadians.
 Burlington MP Karina Gould sits beside the Prime Minister most of the time. Yesterday, after that vote of non-confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Conservatives moved to obstruct debate so that we could not get to a second confidence motion on the ways and means motion. I guess they would be embarrassed to have lost two of those votes in one day. It is the only reason that I can surmise for moving to obstruct the business of the House. Then again, we know that those in the Conservative Party of Canada, its leader and its members, are only here for their own personal political gain. Its members are not here because they actually want to work on behalf of Canadians.
Yesterday, we saw that there are three parties in the House that want to work for Canadians. They are the Liberal members of Parliament, the Bloc members of Parliament and the New Democratic members of Parliament, and they are all here to get work done for Canadians. That is unsurprising to me as we have seen, particularly since this leader has become the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, that he treats our democratic institutions as a joke. He does not take them seriously.
What I have found interesting is that today, even though they are moving again for non-confidence in the government, there is not the pomp and ceremony. In fact, it feels a little deflated in here. It feels like those Conservative members of Parliament do not have that same energy because they lost that motion yesterday and they are doing it again today. It feels kind of sad and desperate. That is what it feels like to me.
Let us look at the Conservatives’ record. When we listened to the speech from the Leader of the Opposition on Tuesday, when he moved that first motion, he asked that we look at his record. He asked that we judge him on his record. There is really only one thing of note that he has ever done when he was in government, and it was not a positive thing. He, when he was minister of democratic institutions, brought forward what was considered to be one of the worst bills when it comes to electoral changes in Canadian history. It was widely panned by experts. It was widely panned by anybody who cares about rights and democracy. The only thing that he was able to accomplish was to make it harder for 500,000 Canadians to vote.
If we want to look at his record, we can see that the only thing he was able to achieve was to limit and decrease the rights of Canadians. He talks about making Canada the freest country in the world, but the only thing he has ever done is to take people’s freedoms away. That is not something that Canadians want in a Prime Minister, and it is certainly not something that they want in the Leader of the Opposition. We think about his record as he talks about housing, and it is really cute to hear them talk about housing because of his record as the minister of housing. I can actually count on two hands how many houses he built: one, two, three, four, five, six. There are six in total. That is the record he is putting forward.
 Gould: “Let us take him at his word.” Let us take him at his word and look at what his record is for Canadians.
The other thing that he did, and he did not do this as a private member, is that he was the architect behind the Conservative plan, when they were in government, to put anti-union, anti-worker, anti-women and anti-abortion private members’ bills in place. This is a typical Conservative tactic.
Yesterday in the House, the Leader of the Opposition said that he would not reopen the abortion debate, but then he kind of did a wink, wink and nudge, nudge because that is exactly what Mr. Harper did when he was Prime Minister. He had his members bring those forward as private members’ bills, through the back door, so he could pretend that it was not the government that was doing it.
We see that the Leader of the Opposition speaks on one side to say that, no, he is not going to do this, but then he looks at the members of his party who are social conservatives and tells them not to worry, that they can go, all-expenses-paid, down to Florida to anti-abortion conferences to talk about how they are going to bring those American-style politics up to Canada, to limit a woman’s right to choose and to limit their ability to access reproductive health care in this country. He says that he will tell everybody that he is not going to do it, but to not worry because they can do it through the back door.
This is the issue that we have when it comes to the Leader of the Opposition: He refuses to tell Canadians the whole truth.
Let me get back to housing because the member who was just speaking talked about the Conservatives’ great housing plan. They talk about their great housing plan, but they are not going to provide any funding to municipalities until they build the houses. For anyone who knows how municipalities work, or how development and planning work, are they just going to have a whole bunch of empty houses with no roads to get there, no sewers to use and no electricity? Those development charges, the funding that funds all of the stuff that builds healthy neighbourhoods, are required to get those houses built. The vision that the Conservative leader of Canada is putting forward is a whole bunch of empty homes with nobody able to get there or use them because there will not be any of the necessary services.
He talks about cutting taxes, but taxes pay for the services and programs that we care about as Canadians. They pay for the health care we receive, the education our children receive and the child care our children go to.
 Gould: The government contributes to the cost of building roads and the public infrastructure. They pay for the roads, the public infrastructure and everything that makes this country great and gives Canadians a fair shot at success.
Over the past nine years, our government has ensured that people have a fair shot at success and that the Canadian dream is an equal playing field, so that income, family background or where people come from do not matter. All people have an opportunity to succeed because Liberals believe that is the Canadian dream. When we have a Leader of the Opposition who only talks about tearing down the institutions that we have in Canada, the very institutions that have made this country great, that is not leadership. That is not someone who believes in this country or who wants to build a prosperous, successful and equitable Canada where everybody has a chance at success.
Our government is very proud of the record it has had over the last nine years. The Canada child benefit lifted 650,000 children out of poverty. Let us compare that to what the Conservatives did. They had the UCCB, which sent $100 a month to all parents, but it was all taxable. The Canada child benefit is tax-free. That is money in people’s pockets that helps with the high costs of groceries, rent and raising a family.
When it comes to senior citizens, what is the record of the Leader of the Opposition? He was in a Conservative government that raised the age of retirement from 65 to 67. He was in a government that cut seniors’ pensions.
What have the Liberals done? The first thing we did was increase the guaranteed income supplement by 10%. We increased old age security for those 75 and over by 10%. We also increased the Canada pension plan for future seniors to make sure that everybody would have a dignified retirement in Canada. Our record speaks for itself.
Let us talk about workers’ rights. The Leader of the Opposition is going around talking to workers saying that he supports them. He has one of the most anti-worker, anti-union records in Canadian history. He has done everything possible to try to bust unions, limit workers’ rights and make sure they do not have the strength they need to continue to support labour rights in this country.
 Gould: “What he has actually delivered for Canadians workers, and it is anything but pro-union and anything but pro-worker.” One of the first things we did when we came into office was to reverse those anti-labour laws that Stephen Harper and the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who was the minister of employment at the time, put forward. His record speaks for itself. He is anti-union and anti-labour. He simply does not care about workers’ rights. What Canadians see, when they hear him speaking, is that he only tells half the truth. He neglects the part of the story that does not fit the narrative he wants to put forward, and he is hiding his true agenda. He can tell workers he supports them, but let us look at the facts. Let us look at what he has actually delivered for Canadians workers, and it is anything but pro-union and anything but pro-worker.
Let us talk about the future of the country. Let us talk about the fight against climate change. This is one of the most existential threats that our country, and indeed the world, is facing. If we want to have a country where our children can prosper and grow, and where our grandchildren can prosper, we have to fight climate change. That means we have to have a comprehensive plan when it comes to the price on pollution, the work to do with industry partners and investments in clean technology. We have to have that whole picture because this is a whole-of-society fight that we need to engage in.
The Leader of the Opposition says that he will do things for climate change, but right now, all he has is imaginary ideas that nobody has ever tested.
The fact of the matter is that, when he was in government, when Stephen Harper was Prime Minster, we had the worst climate record in the world.
Canadians were ashamed of our actions on climate change when the Leader of the Opposition was in government.
We just received news that our climate plan is working. The equivalent of 60 million cars has been taken off the road in climate-emission reductions because of the work we have put forward. Now, let us talk about our international record. Last fall, I thought the House was going to unanimously pass the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. I thought that would be something that would go smoothly. Instead, we saw obstruction at every single turn, which was led by the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Canada has stood strong with Ukraine against Russia’s illegal occupation and war. Again, we saw obstruction at every moment from the Conservatives. This was apparently because there was something about a price on pollution in the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement, which was an absolute red herring since Ukraine already had a price on pollution. This was simply an update. It was a wink and a nod to the people online who are supporting the Russian occupation. The Leader of the Opposition did not want to necessarily rock that boat because he is one of those people who goes down those conspiracy theory rabbit holes.
 This was not one of Gould’s best photo ops. The elderly gentleman was later identified as a member of the Nazi party as a youth during the war. He was absolutely against moving forward in support for Ukraine. Finally, he was shamed into doing so, but it took a very long time. It is shameful that he was trying to obstruct and obscure our standing alongside our allies. If we think about it, the very fact that he cannot even get allies in the House to support his little political games makes me wonder how in the world he is going to get allies around the world to support Canada’s objectives moving forward.
The Leader of the Opposition takes this place for a joke. He takes Canadians for a joke. Canadians deserve more than that. They deserve more from their political leaders than to be treated as props and to be treated as symbols for political advancement.
On this side of the House, and indeed among the other political parties, the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and the Liberals, we are here to work for Canadians.
We will continue to do that. We will continue to advance the important work of the House. The only question we have today is whether the Conservatives will stop playing their silly partisan games, get over these ideas of grandeur and, instead, actually work for Canadians. All we see today is the fact that the Conservatives are only here to work for themselves.
By Pepper Parr
September 26th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Hamilton announces a 49 year agreement with TradePort International Corporation to further develop and expand John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.
What does that mean to the average John Doe who wants cheap, efficient air travel from Hamilton?
Alan Harrington found out when he flew from Hamilton to Iceland – then on to Paris – then back to Iceland and then home to Hamilton – ALL for $620.00 in airfare.
 Harrington: I placed a poppy on my uncle’s grave. I wanted to get to places on my To-Do List. One was to “Walk in The Steps of the Soldiers” at Normandy. My uncle was one of those soldiers on D-day, and I was able to visit the Juno Beach Centre; see the bunkers, huge cannons, Hell’s Corner (furthest Canadian troops went on D-day) and Canada House (first building liberated). I also saw a Sherman Tank that had been fished out of the beach; it’s on display with Canadian Regiment Insignias.
While in Paris I took a side trip to Normandy and placed a poppy at the grave of a 21-year-old Burlington soldier: Herbert G. Reynolds – who died during the battle and is buried at the cemetery there, along with over 2,000 other Canucks. His name is also on the Burlington Cenotaph at City Hall
Coming back through Paris I enjoyed the Louvre, l ’Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and the Underground Catacombs where they keep a million human skulls, and finished with a glass of wine at the restaurant on the street.
Returning home, I opted for a 48 hour stop-over in a “different world”.
 Harrington: The Golden Falls was perhaps the biggest part of my tour. I landed in Keflavik and rode the shuttle bus to my Airbnb in Reykjavik downtown. Next morning, the Golden Circle Blue Lagoon tour bus driver picked us up. Took a head count – gave us instructions (must wear seat belt) and we were off. We saw a rugged landscape, with random chunks of rock sitting in the exact spot they landed after being blasted out of a volcano a thousand years ago.
We saw the eastern part of the North American tectonic plates. Scuba divers can go in a pond where the plates meet. We walked along the bottom of an earthquake valley. Climbed over to the Golden Falls. Saw a glacier in the distance. Fed Iceland’s own breed of horses. Did you know – you can’t bring a horse into Iceland. And if you take one of their horses out of the country to a show, it can never come home again.
The tour was about 12 hours long through the west side of the island along a road that’s all paved clean and modern. You can see a volcano on the horizon that is ready to erupt at “any time”. It’s overdue in fact.
A Geyser named “Stokker “on the tour erupts every eight minutes which we watched. Geyser is an Icelandic word adopted by the world.
Stood inside an ancient volcano with a green blue lake at the bottom.
 Harrington: Volcanoes are very active in Iceland. This road was undergoing repairs as the result of a lava flow a month earlier Our tour guide told us stories of Iceland’s brave history from Viking days. The legends of Thor, and myths of tiny trolls running through the forest. The tour winds up at the Blue Lagoon – a natural spa of steaming hot water where we relaxed for two hours. Visitors can put on a special delightful face cream (a bit like toothpaste) to luxuriate in.
The volcano had spilled hot lava all across the road the month before made a detour necessary.
Overall it was terrific experience with the basic air fare just $620.00 Yes there were add ons – I chose a window seat and that is extra.
The announcement that the airport in Hamilton was going to be managed by the same group for the next 49 years sounded great – I just wanted to be sure that I would be able to continue to get the great deals.
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